Somali pirates have hijacked a Panamanian-flagged ship with 18 crew, including 15 Indians, off the east coast of Africa. Reports say, there are 15 Indians, two Pakistanis and a Somali on board. It set out from Dubai on October 24. The latest capture means Somali pirates are holding 11 ships with more than 200 people being kept as hostages, including a British couple seized from their personal yacht late last month.<br/><br/>The high-seas hijackings have increased after the recent end of the monsoon season despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region. US drones launched from nearby Seychelles are also patrolling for pirates.<br/><br/>Somalia's lawless 3,000-kilometre coastline provides a perfect haven for pirates to prey on ships heading for the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.<br/>