Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Somali pirates arrested in January, but active outlaws pledge to continue attacks
The Liberty Sun suffered damage, but the crew was unharmed, the ship's owner said.
Liberty Maritime said the pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel, which was carrying US food aid for African nations.
"We are grateful and pleased that no one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," a statement from New York-based maritime company said.
The attack was the second in a week on a US-flagged ship in the region.
On Sunday, US snipers killed three Somali pirates on board the USS Bainbridge and freed the American ship captain they had been holding hostage for five days.
Hostages were held on USS Bainbridge
Heavily armed pirates from lawless Somalia have been increasingly striking the busy Indian Ocean shipping lanes and strategic Gulf of Aden.
The outlaws have captured dozens of vessels, hundreds of hostages and made off with millions of dollars in ransoms.
Earlier on Tuesday, Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third.
The attacks were a clear sign pirate gangs have not been deterred by two raids in recent days in which US and French special forces killed five pirates.
A spokesman for US Central Command had no immediate comment on the most recent incident.
Source: Sky News, April 15, 2009