Wednesday, April 15, 2009
A regional maritime official confirmed the incident to Xinhua on Wednesday, saying the pirates using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked the U.S.-flagged Liberty Sun on Tuesday off the coast of the Horn of the Africa nation but they failed to board the vessel.
The official said the ship is now under military escort following the attempted hijacking.
A statement from the Liberty Maritime Corporation (LMC), the owner of the cargo vessel, said the ship was carrying American food aid for African nations and was heading to Mombasa, Kenya, from Houston.
"We are grateful and pleased that no one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," the LMC statement said.
The attack took place at about 15:30 GMT. According to the statement, the U.S. ship, the USS Bainbridge, responded to calls for assistance by the Liberty. But the pirates had left by the time it arrived about six hours later.
The Bainbridge was the same U.S. Navy vessel that responded last week after another U.S.-flagged cargo ship was attacked off Somalia's coast.
This latest attack came just three days after the dramatic rescue of an American cargo ship captain held captive by Somali pirates. Three of his captors were killed in that rescue operation, while a fourth was captured.
Two cargo vessels were captured on Monday and Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden, taking at least 22 Filipinos hostage, according to Mombasa-based Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP).
Armed Somali gunmen seized the first ship Monday night -- the Greek-owned MV Irene EM -- and took the 22-man Filipino crew hostage.
Hours later the second vessel, the Togo-flagged MV Sea Horse, was taken about 140 km off Somalia's coast.
Source: Xinhua, April 15, 2009