Chemical tanker repels pirates by spraying water

03 November 2008 19:17  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--A Danish-registered chemical tanker repelled Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday by spraying water over the sides of the ship, the Copenhagen Post reported on Monday.

The M/T Britta Maersk product tanker was travelling from Singapore to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia when it was attacked by two small speed boats, the paper said.

"Two speed boats closed in on the ship, the crew locked everything up and activated the fire extinguishing system so water was sprayed over the sides of the ship," Maersk spokesman Peter Beck-Bang was quoted as saying by the publication.

Bullet holes were later found in the Maersk tanker. Beck-Bang said the pirates eventually gave up the pursuit and no crew members were injured.

The Danish warship Absalon was patrolling the area as part of a NATO anti-piracy fleet, but by the time it reached the Britta Maersk the pirates had disappeared.

On Saturday, the Foreign Ministry of Egypt called upon Arab countries overlooking the Red Sea to meet in Cairo in late November in order to coordinate piracy efforts. A ministry spokesman said Arab countries in the region need to intensify their efforts to solve the problem, "although it is now limited to the areas off the Somali coast, western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden."

Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have more than doubled this year, making the waters off the Horn of Africa the most dangerous in the world, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

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By: Lane Kelley
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