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Malaysian warship, chopper scared off Somali pirates: watchdog
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Dec 18, 2008 A Malaysian warship was the vessel that helped Chinese sailors repel Somali pirates who had boarded their ship in a dramatic high-seas battle, a maritime watchdog said Thursday. "A Malaysian military helicopter fired warning shots at the pirates' boat. This forced the sea raiders to abandon their operation to hijack the ship," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Board's piracy reporting centre. On Wednesday a band of pirates boarded the Chinese commercial vessel "Zhenhua 4" in the Gulf of Aden but the sailors held them off for several hours. Their heroic actions gave the international coalition patrolling the pirate-infested region time to seek the assistance of the Malaysian warship KD Inderasakti. "The coalition forces requested assistance from the Malaysian warship to fight off the pirate attack," Choong told AFP, adding that "the warship then deployed the helicopter". Malaysia had deployed the warship to protect its commercial ships after two vessels were hijacked by pirates in August. A Malaysian tugboat was also captured by pirates this week and remains in their hands. A newly created European Union task force has recently taken over patrols off the Horn of Africa from NATO. China also said Thursday it was preparing to send warships to the region. Pirates have carried out more than 100 attacks in the key shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden, located between the south of Yemen and the north of Somalia, and the Indian Ocean east of Somalia since the start of this year. Last month, they captured the world's attention when they hijacked the Saudi-owned super-tanker Sirius Star, carrying two million barrels of crude oil, and demanded a 25-million-dollar ransom for the ship and its crew. The pirates, heavily armed and using high-powered speedboats, prey on a key maritime route leading to the Suez Canal, through which an estimated 30 percent of the world's oil transits. The pirates are believed to number around 1,200 former and seasonal fishermen and coast guards, many of them from lawless Somalia, which has been ravaged by years of conflict and starvation. Related Links 21st Century Pirates
Chinese sailors fend off Somali pirates amid fresh attacks
Mogadishu (AFP) Dec 17, 2008Chinese sailors fought off Somali pirates trying to hijack their ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday in a new wave of attacks that saw three other vessels captured. |
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