The Somali pirates hijacked a Chinese- flagged commercial ship off Yemen's western city port of al-Hudaida in the Red Sea, the Yemeni Interior Ministry said Saturday.

The Chinese ship called "Tien Hau" was attacked by the pirates at about 11 nautical miles away from the Yemeni island of Al-Tair off the city port of al-Hudaida, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

"The pirates moved the ship towards the Somali coats," the ministry said, adding that "measures are underway to spot the fate of the ship and its crew members."

The ministry's statement did not tell how many crew members were aboard, nor did it provide the date of the hijack.

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.