Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The frigate "Neustrashimy" -- "Fearless" -- of Russia's Baltic Sea Fleet and the Royal Navy's frigate "Cumberland" repelled the attack on the cargo ship "Powerful" of Denmark in the Gulf of Aden, Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told state channel Vesti-24.
He could not be reached to clarify the date of the incident. The Royal Navy was not immediately available for comment.
"The pirates tried to shoot at the vessel with automatic weapons and made several attempts to seize it," Dygalo said. "But thanks to the joint efforts of the Russian and British warships the pirates' actions were disrupted."
Dygalo said a Russian Ka-27 and a British Lynx helicopter were involved but gave no details of their mission.
He said the Russian frigate was now escorting several foreign merchant ships in the piracy-stricken area.
Moscow sent the "Neustrashimy" to the area in September and said at the time its ships would regularly go to zones where pirates were active.
Some observers say the Kremlin is increasingly using the Russian navy to project its renewed power.
The European Union agreed on Monday to deploy an air and naval force off Somalia's coast to guard sea lanes against piracy.
Pirates have been causing havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping areas, connecting Europe with the Middle East and Asia. They have taken millions of dollars in ransoms, raised insurance costs and threatened humanitarian supplies. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Tim Pearce) ([email protected]; +7 495 775 1242; Reuters Messaging: [email protected]))