Nairobi - Pirates hijacked a US tugboat sailing under an Italian flag off the coast of Somalia four days after the failed attempt to capture the US commercial ship Maersk Alabama, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Saturday. Citing maritime industry sources, the BBC said the tugboat with a crew of 16 was towing two barges at the time of the attack.

There were no reports of injuries in the attack.

Neither the governments of the United States or Italy confirmed the report.(dpa)