Italian Ship Beats Off Pirate Attack By Gunfire Of Israeli Hired Security Ofcrs

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                                          Italian cruise ship beats off pirate attack
           




 
April 26, 2009
NAIROBI
(Reuters)

– An Italian cruise ship used guns and a firehose to beat off an attack by pirates off the east African coast, the vessel's captain said Sunday.

Pirates also freed a Yemeni-owned tanker, the Sea Princess II, Sunday, a Kenyan maritime official that monitors growing piracy off Somalia told Reuters.

Commander Ciro Pinto of the MSC Melody, which has a capacity of 1,500 passengers and crew, said his ship was slightly damaged by firing from the pirates.

The ship came under attack when it was 200 miles north of the Seychelles and 600 miles off the Somali coast. "They started firing like crazy at the ship," he told Italian television Skytg24.

Pinto said pistols were handed out to security staff and they opened fire on the pirates when they tried to clamber up the sides of the ship.

"They tried to put up a ladder with hooks. They were climbing up, so we reacted. We started firing. When they saw us firing -- we even sprayed them with water with the firehose -- they gave up and went off," Pinto said.

The sea gang followed the Melody for another 20 minutes, firing at it all the while, Pinto said.

"The passengers meanwhile were inside the cabin. There are no injuries. Only two people with scrapes," the captain said. "Someone slipped, fell. Just a few light scrapes."

Although the ship's action may have saved the Melody from capture, the Kenyan maritime official said it only endangered the lives of passengers.

"Having weapons on a passenger or merchant ship is dangerous. They should have used other means to shake off the pirates, like a loud acoustic device," said Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa-based East African Sea Farers Assistance Program.

He was referring to a device that can produce a deafening sound to deter pirates when directed toward their vessel.

"Only military ships should have weapons on board."

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FREE YEMENI TANKER



Mwangura said pirates also released a Yemeni-owned tanker on Sunday. The vessel was seized on January 2 and was carrying petroleum products. It had 15 crew members, including eight Indian seamen.

"Information shows that the Sea Princess II is free. She is now underway to safe waters," he said. "There must have been a ransom paid but we don't know how much."

Another ship was let free Saturday, after a $1.9 million ransom payment.

Buccaneers have increased raids on ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean since February when better weather allowed them to hijack more vessels and take more hostages despite foreign navies patrolling off Somalia.

It is not the first time that pirates have tried to seize a cruise ship, but they have always been fended off.

The London-based IMB watchdog said piracy incidents nearly doubled in the first quarter of 2009 almost entirely due to Somalia. There were 18 attacks off the Somali coast in March alone.

They have made millions of dollars from seizing ships and taking crews hostage. Pirates freed a Greek ship Saturday after they received a $1.9 million ransom just hours after another ship, a German grain carrier, was grabbed in the Gulf of Aden.



(Additional reporting by

Antonella Ciancio
in Milan;

Editing by
Richard Williams)

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This image shows the Italian cruise ship Msc Melody entering the port of Messina May 15, 2008.

The commander of an Italian cruise ship says his crew successfully fended off an attack by pirates off Somalia, returning fire when the pirates attacked.

Cmdr. Ciro Pinto tells Italian state radio that he ordered his security forces to return fire when six men in a small white boat opened fire on the Msc Melody on Saturday night April 25, 2009.



(AP Photo/
Roberto Munao)

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                                     Cruise ship fends off pirate attack with gunfire
           





Nicole Winfield,
Associated Press Writer
April 26, 2009
ROME

– An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board fended off a pirate attack far off the coast of Somalia when its Israeli private security forces exchanged fire with the bandits and drove them away, the commander said Sunday.

Cmdr. Ciro Pinto told Italian state radio that six men in a small white speed boat approached the Msc Melody and opened fire Saturday night, but retreated after the Israeli security officers aboard the cruise ship returned fire.

"It felt like we were in war," Pinto said.

None of the roughly 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members were hurt, Melody owner Msc Cruises said in a statement issued by its German branch.

Domenico Pellegrino, head of the Italian cruise line, said Msc Cruises hired the Israelis because they were the best trained security agents, the ANSA news agency reported.

Separately, the Turkish cruiser Ariva 3, with two British and four Japanese crew aboard, survived a pirate attack near the Yemeni island of Jabal Zuqar early Sunday, said Ali el-Awlaqi, head of the Yemeni El-Awlaqi Marine company said.

"Pirates opened fire at the cruise ship for 15 minutes then stopped for no reason," he said, adding that the cruiser was heading to Aden, Yemen, to fix a broken engine.

Civilian shipping and passenger ships have generally avoided arming crewmen or hiring armed security for reasons of safety, liability and compliance with the rules of the different countries where they dock.

Saturday's exchange of fire between pirates and the Melody was one of the first reported between pirates and a nonmilitary ship. International military forces have battled pirates, with U.S. Navy snipers killing three holding an American captain hostage in one of the highest-profile incidents.

Saturday's attack occurred about 200 miles (325 kilometers) north of the Seychelles, and about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Somalia, according to the anti-piracy flotilla headquarters of the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet, noted that the distance from the Somalia coast was a sign of the pirates' increasing skill.

"It's not unheard of to have attacks off the coast of the Seychelles, we've even had some in the past month," he said. "But at the same time, it is a sign that they are moving further and further off the Somali coast," demonstrating a "definite shift in their tactical capabilities."

Pinto said the pirates fired with automatic weapons, slightly damaging the liner, and tried to put a ladder on board. But he said they were unable to climb aboard.

The commander said his security forces opened fire with pistols, and the ANSA news agency said the pistols had been kept in a safe under the joint control of the commander and security chief.

Cruise line security work is a popular job for young Israelis who have recently been discharged from mandatory army service, as it is a good chance to save money and travel.

The Spanish warship SPS Marques de Ensenada was meeting up with the liner to escort her through the pirate-infested northern Gulf of Aden, the Maritime Security Center said.

The cruise ship was headed as scheduled to the Jordanian port of Aqaba. The Melody was on a 22-day cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy, returning to the Mediterranean for spring and summer season cruises.

Pirates have attacked more than 100 ships off the Somali coast over the last year, reaping an estimated $1 million in ransom for each successful hijacking, according to analysts and country experts.

Another Italian-owned vessel remains in the hands of pirates. The Italian-flagged tugboat Buccaneer was seized off Somalia on April 11 with 16 crew members aboard.

On Saturday, the Foreign Ministry dispatched a special envoy, Margherita Boniver, to Somalia to try to win the release of the tug and crew. In a statement, the ministry also denied reports by relatives of the crew that an ultimatum had been issued by the pirates.

___

Associated Press writers

Rukmini Callimachi
in Nairobi, Kenya, and

Ahmed al-Haj
in Yemen

contributed to this report.