Pirates attack second US vessel
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Pirates have used rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons to attack another US merchant ship off the coast of Somalia, report agencies.
The pirates damaged the Liberty Sun, which was carrying a cargo of food aid, but were not able to board it.
The ship asked for assistance from the American warship involved in the rescue of a US captain seized last week.
Pirates have vowed to avenge the deaths of those killed in recent rescue operations by US and French forces.
The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says the latest attack shows the danger posed by pirates off the Somali coast.
Despite renewed US calls to quell piracy, four more vessels have been successfully seized over the past two days.
Owners of the Liberty Sun and the US military confirmed reports of the latest, failed attack, which took place Tuesday at midday local time.
Some details were revealed in an e-mail from one of the crewmen to his mother at her home in Illinois., AP news agency reported.
"We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets, also bullets," Thomas Urbik, 26, told his mother, Katy.
"We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no-one is hurt. A rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."
The Liberty Sun had been en route to Mombasa from Houston, Texas, when the attack took place.
After coming under fire, the ship immediately requested assistance from the USS Bainbridge, said owners Liberty Maritime Corp in a statement. The navy destroyer arrived some hours later, by which time the pirates had gone.
"We are grateful and pleased that no-one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," said the Liberty Maritime Corp statement. The ship did sustain some damage, it said, but was able to resume its journey to Mombasa.
The operation to free Captain Richard Phillips, who was held captive in a lifeboat for five days, ended with three pirates being shot dead by marksmen from the USS Bainbridge on Sunday.
Somali pirate leaders - who have generally treated captives well in the hope of winning big ransom payouts - said they would avenge the deaths.
The pirates damaged the Liberty Sun, which was carrying a cargo of food aid, but were not able to board it.
The ship asked for assistance from the American warship involved in the rescue of a US captain seized last week.
Pirates have vowed to avenge the deaths of those killed in recent rescue operations by US and French forces.
The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says the latest attack shows the danger posed by pirates off the Somali coast.
Despite renewed US calls to quell piracy, four more vessels have been successfully seized over the past two days.
Owners of the Liberty Sun and the US military confirmed reports of the latest, failed attack, which took place Tuesday at midday local time.
Some details were revealed in an e-mail from one of the crewmen to his mother at her home in Illinois., AP news agency reported.
"We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets, also bullets," Thomas Urbik, 26, told his mother, Katy.
"We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no-one is hurt. A rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."
The Liberty Sun had been en route to Mombasa from Houston, Texas, when the attack took place.
After coming under fire, the ship immediately requested assistance from the USS Bainbridge, said owners Liberty Maritime Corp in a statement. The navy destroyer arrived some hours later, by which time the pirates had gone.
"We are grateful and pleased that no-one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," said the Liberty Maritime Corp statement. The ship did sustain some damage, it said, but was able to resume its journey to Mombasa.
The operation to free Captain Richard Phillips, who was held captive in a lifeboat for five days, ended with three pirates being shot dead by marksmen from the USS Bainbridge on Sunday.
Somali pirate leaders - who have generally treated captives well in the hope of winning big ransom payouts - said they would avenge the deaths.