SANAA - The Somali pirates hijacked a Chinese-flagged commercial ship off Yemen's western city port of al- Hudaida in the Red Sea, Chinese military attache to Yemen confirmed to Xinhua on Saturday.

The Chinese military confirmed that the Chinese-flagged commercial ship, which was registered in Hong Kong, China, had been hijacked by the Somali pirates off the Yemeni coast, Chinese military attache to Yemen told Xinhua.

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The ship was then moved by the pirates towards the Somali coasts, he added, without providing how many people were on board or the date of the hijack.

Earlier, Yemeni Interior Ministry said the Chinese ship called "Tien Hau" was attacked by the pirates some 11 nautical miles (20. 4 kilometers) off the Yemeni island of Al-Tair off the city port of al-Hudaida.

Meanwhile, a security source at the ministry told Xinhua "the security operation room of the ministry received unconfirmed information that an anti-piracy international navy fleet might intercept the pirates and help release the Chinese ship."

"We are following up the situation to confirm the release of the Chinese ship, as coast guard boats were dispatched to track the ship and pirates," he told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"The hijack took place early today, but we do not have exact information about the number of the ship's crew," he added.

The Gulf of Aden is considered as one of the world's most dangerous waters because of rampant piracy.