MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 22 (UPI) -- An attack on a U.S. cargo ship by Somali pirates was foiled early Friday by Canadian and Italian naval helicopters, the armed forces said.
The three Canadian helicopters were dispatched from the Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg minutes after receiving a distress call from a Lebanese flagged cargo ship, the Maria K, about 60 miles away in the Gulf of Arden, CBS News reported Friday. The Lebanese ship said it was being attacked by pirates using rocket propelled grenades.
However, the pirates stopped pursing the Maria K before the helicopters arrived and instead went after the Maersk Virginia, a U.S. cargo ship in the same fleet as the Maersk Alabama, which was attacked by pirates in April and its captain held prisoner for four days.
The Canadian helicopters were joined by an Italian naval helicopter and the pirates threw their weapons overboard after the vessels hovered overhead. The boat was boarded by the Italian navy.
The number of international warships in the Gulf of Arden has recently been increased to better respond to pirate attacks on the hundreds of merchant vessels that pass through the gulf each day, CBS reported.
