Pirates have hijacked an Indian cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, authorities have said. The vessel, with 11 people on board, was taken on 1 April.

More on Somalia

There are conflicting reports on where the cargo was heading from and to.

"We understand Somali pirates hijacked a commercial Indian ship and (it is heading) towards Somalia shores," Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, a former director of the anti-piracy agency in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, told news agency Reuters.

However, the director of India's Ministry of Shipping, Malini Shankar, told the Press Trust of India the ship was sailing from Dubai to Yemen when it was hijacked.

"There is a possibility of the vessel being released without the cargo once it reaches the shore this evening," Shankar told added.

The hijacking occurred just weeks after pirates seized an oil tanker, but subsequently released it after a fight with Puntland's marine force.

It was the first commandeering to occur since 2012.