Mogadishu (Sunatimes) Somali pirates have hijacked an Indian cargo vessel with fourteen crew members. The ship was hijacked off the coast of Oman, on Sunday.

The small cargo vessel was sailing off Oman, about 800 nautical miles away from the Somali coast, Sunday morning when the pirates struck, taking hostage the 14 Indian crew members on board.

The Ship was on its way to the Persian Gulf when the pirates hijacked it.

The pirates are now believed to be sailing the cargo ship towards the Somali coast. The Indian government has already advised small vessels not to take up contract work in the Gulf of Aden region.

However, there is an Indian naval warship is patrolling the Gulf of Aden as part of anti-piracy efforts initiated in October 2008. The Navy’s warship in the Gulf of Aden has escorted over 1,500 cargo vessels along the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).