Pirates fire grenade at S'pore-flagged vessel: watchdog
Fri, Aug 08, 2008
AFP
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8, 2008 (AFP) - A Singapore-flagged vessel was attacked off the Somali coast Friday by pirates who fired a rocket-propelled grenade that landed on the ship but did not explode, a maritime watchdog said.
Coalition forces operating in the region sent a helicopter to the bulk carrier to help remove the grenade, said Noel Choong, head of the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre.
Choong said that armed pirates aboard two speedboats attacked the Singapore vessel in the east of the Gulf of Aden, but its master managed to request assistance on a distress line.
"We contacted the coalition command centre and they informed us that they had dispatched a warship to the vicinity. When it arrived the pirates stopped the chase and pulled back," he told AFP.
"An RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) was fired and landed on the ship but did not explode. The coalition have dispatched a helicopter to the ship's location to assist the master to remove the RPG."
"The IMB appreciates the assistance given by the coalition navies in assisting the ship," he said referring to the alliance of US, British and Pakistani forces among others.
Choong said the attack was the latest in an upsurge of activity in the Gulf of Aden in recent weeks, including the hijacking of a Japanese-owned bulk carrier on July 20.
He said the centre issued a warning on August 7 after receiving military intelligence about two Russian-made stern trawlers believed to be acting as "mother vessels" for smaller pirate ships.
"These two trawlers are believed to be operating in the vicinity of the Gulf of Aden, looking for ships at the moment," he told AFP.
Among other recent incidents in the piracy-prone region, a Japanese-operated chemical tanker was attacked on July 7 but managed to escape.
There was another failed attack on July 18 on a Panamanian tanker.
Then on July 20 pirates seized the Stella Maris, a Japanese-owned bulk carrier.
"She's now been hijacked and taken to the Somali coast, the pirates have demanded a ransom from the Japanese owners," Choong said.
A Nigerian tug boat is also believed to have been seized on August 4 but the centre is still seeking more details, Choong said.
The waters off Nigeria and Somalia are the world's most dangerous hotspots for seafarers.
