( CNN ) -- The captain of an Italian cruise ship foiled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday by ordering his security crew to fire back , Italy 's ANSA news agency reported . Six armed pirates in a speedboat attacked the ship , which had about 1,500 people onboard , ANSA said . They fled after the security crew fired back . The cruise ship Melody , which is owned by an Italian company , was on its way back to Italy after a cruise , ANSA said . No one was injured in the attack about 180 miles north of the Seychelles . Piracy is rampant off the coast of Somalia despite the presence of foreign navies . The area hardest hit off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya , including the Gulf of Aden , is more than 1.1 million square miles -- four times the size of the state of Texas .
Six armed pirates attacked cruise ship Melody in a convoy . Captain of cruise ship ordered his crew to turn back . Cruise ship was on its way back to Italy when attack took place .