Somali pirates have hijacked a commercial vessel off the coast of the lawless nation, raising fears of resurgence of piracy after several months of lull activity.

Reports from Mogadishu said Saturday the United Arab Emirates- flagged MV Veesham carrying charcoal with 12-member crew on board was seized near Adale, 95 km northeast of Mogadishu on Thursday night.

Abduarhman Olow, a businessman in Mogadishu who chartered the ship, said the vessel was traveling to Dubai after leaving El Maan natural harbor in northern Mogadishu with a 12-member crew from India.

He said that the captain had contacted them and told them that Somali gunmen have hijacked the ship.

The businessman said that the reasons for the hijacking are still unclear and that they had no idea of where the pirates took the ship. Olow said that he expected the pirates to contact his company soon.

"I don't know the number of gunmen but the captain told me that gunmen hijacked the ship around Adale coast and they have taken it to an unknown destination," Olow was quoted as saying.

The new hijacking comes after months of lull in piracy incidents off the Somali coast after powerful Supreme Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC)'s takeover of central Somali regions in June this year.

"We thought the era of pirates ended..but this shows us that there are still pirates in our waters," Olow said.

The latest seizure came after ten pirates who were captured early this year by the United States Navy off the coast of the lawless nation were sentenced for seven years in Kenya this week for piracy and hijacking

The U.S. seizure of the alleged pirates came amid a surge in hijackings off the coast of Somalia, where the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) had reported about 40 attacks on ships since mid-March of last year.

Somalia's coastline is one of the world's worst areas for piracy, but incidents have declined since the Islamic courts rose to power in June.

Somalia has been in the grip of warlords and militias for years and has not had a functioning national government since 1991.

The decline in piracy has also been attributed to foreign navy patrols.

Source: Xinhua