Pirate attack on U.S.-flagged ship foiled

CBS

(AP) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iran and an American-led naval coalition each said Thursday they responded to a distress call by a U.S.-flagged cargo ship that came under fire from gunmen in the Gulf of Oman a day earlier.

Armed guards aboard the 488-foot (148-meter) Maersk Texas thwarted the attack northeast of the Emirati port of Fujairah, Danish shipper A.P. Moller-Maersk said. The attack happened not far from the tense waters of the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for a fifth of the world's oil.

The Copenhagen-headquartered company said armed attackers in "multiple pirate skiffs" raced straight toward the ship around noon Wednesday despite clear warning signals from the Texas. Guards on board fired warning shots, but the suspected pirates opened fire, prompting ship guards to shoot back at them, according to the shipping line.

No one on the Texas was injured in the incident, and the ship continued on its voyage to the U.S., Maersk said.

Iranian news agencies reported that the suspected pirates fled when Iran's navy intervened after responding to an emergency call from the American ship.

Lt. Cdr. Mark Hankey, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces, was unable to confirm Iran's role in the incident. He also cast doubt on whether the event was an act of piracy at all.

"The full facts of the event have yet to be fully ascertained. Piracy has to be judged according to a number of factors. It is not clear from the information available to date whether this was a piracy event," Hankey said.

Somali pirates have been increasing their range, but attacks near the Strait of Hormuz remain relatively rare.

Hankey declined to say who the attackers might have been if not pirates, though he noted that fishermen and smugglers frequent the area. He did not suggest that the Iranian military, which operates a fleet of small, fast attack craft, might be involved.

The Combined Maritime Forces is a naval partnership including more than two dozen nations that operates in and around the Middle East. It is commanded by a U.S. Navy admiral.

An Australian ship assigned to the multinational force, the HMAS Melbourne, picked up a distress call from the American ship, Hankey said. It dispatched a helicopter to monitor the situation and set a course to assist.

Iran's official IRNA news agency and semiofficial Mehr news service reported that the Islamic Republic's navy helped thwart the attack. IRNA said an Iranian naval vessel picked up a distress call from the ship, and because of the navy's "vigilance and timely reaction ... the pirates fled the scene."

While he was not aware of Iranian aid to the Texas, Hankey said such assistance would not necessarily be out of the ordinary.

"If you hear of a vessel in distress, you do your best to assist" on the high seas, he said. "If the Iranians responded to a mayday call, then that's perfectly normal activity. ... That's what this whole mayday call is about."

American ships have occasionally come to the aid of Iranian merchant vessels in similar circumstances.

[nav12]

I was just joking with my friends about what the headlines about the Iranian Navy's rescue of the U.S. ship from pirates will read. My guess about the Jew York Times headline was close.

Reuter's Headline "Iranian Navy hijacks US vessel". Jew York Times Headline: "US Ship still not heard from after Attack by Iranian Navy". AP Headline: "US ship reported missing. Iran Suspected." Canwest Global Headline: "Canada, UK and Israel offer assistance to U.S. to retrieve vessel captured by Iran"

Looks like CBS took the middle ground here and says "Guards" fired on the pirates forcing them to abandon the attack. What a strange Ashkenazi universe we all live in!

[LCCLYDE]

I am in complete agreement to using deadly and decisive forcre against pirates wherevever and whoever they are.Piracy is a scourge that can be dettered if the navys of all nations worked together to end it.And by blowing them out of the water each time they are caught might discourage the practice.I dont think I would want to operate in these waters if it was announced that deadly force would be the penalty.Also there is reports tha Iranian navy came to the aid of the Americans,if this is true then why cant we find ways to cooperate in other matters.We are all inhabitants of this planet,and warring with one another is not going to get either side anywhere.

[touria55]

amazing how the pirate story brings out the lowest life forms in the US. Everyone of them gutless racists cowards who, without guns are like frightened little boys.

[jnostromo]

you make me laugh


Semper Fi

[makemyday2day]

Wow, touria55, racist? How on earth did you manage to twist this story and the comments (which mentioned NOTHING up to this point to indicate racism) THAT much?

[audemus]

This, like a lot of other criminal activity, could be ended almost immediately, if the powers that be showed as little concern for the criminal's "rights", as the criminals show for the "rights" of their victims.

[lighthouserob]

If the U.S. sent in some ships to blow these guys out of the water, instead of just merchant ships shooting "warnings", maybe the rest of them would get the message.

[redbeachvn]

I can't believe no pirates were killed. Guards should be using 50 cal sniper rifles for range and maximum damage.

[bobnjersey]

[Pirate attack on U.S.-flagged ship foiled]
----------------------------
they should just assess a $675k fine against the 'pirates' for each offense ... that seems to be the approach used against american college students.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57438320-501465/court-wont-reduce-students-music-download-fine/?tag=mncol;lst;1

[pbaird2]

It is incredible a small band of thugs can cause such havoc in today's international waters. The greatest nations of the world should be given approval to send their navies in to obliterate the threat.

[jnostromo]

They don't need approval, they need guts...The pirate vermin could be eradicated in weeks if the nations had the guts to use the military forces against them. Instead, they play a game of arrest and release...Arrest them ,then let them go back in their skiffs to their towns.. that is ludicrous..

[lighthouserob]

Forget the approval...just go in there and do it, that's what I say.

[jnostromo]

Send a carrier in and bomb the hell oout of their towns and land bases..then confront the, on the seas and instead of "arresting" them, sink their skiffs and execute them...let them serve as fish food

[saucymugwump]

Kenya and Tanzania simply kill pirates when caught. Why not us?

http://saucymugwump.blogspot.com/2011/02/execute-somali-pirates-upon-capture.html
http://saucymugwump.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-execute-somali-pirates-upon.html
http://saucymugwump.blogspot.com/2011/06/update-execute-somali-pirates-upon.html
http://saucymugwump.blogspot.com/2011/09/update-execute-somali-pirates-upon.html