(Sayyid Azim,/AP Photo)

Two American security guards were found dead on Tuesday aboard the Maersk Alabama, a merchant ship made famous in a 2009 pirate attack off the coast of Somalia, the story of which was later turned into movie starring Tom Hanks.

The deaths of both men remain under investigation, according to Maersk, a commercial shipping line based in Copenhagen, which confirmed that their bodies were found on the ship, which was docked in Port Victoria, Seychelles.

The men, both contractors employed by Trident Group, joined the ship's crew on Jan. 29. The names of the men were not provided.

US merchant vessels sailing of the Eastern Coast of Africa typically employ security contractors, many of whom are former members of the military, to defend against pirate attacks.

Maersk Alabama was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009, and later rescued by the U.S. Navy. The event was fictionalized in "Captain Phillips."