Asia-Pacific

Without a shot, marines seize ship from pirates

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-09-10 09:07

US Marines of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force, from the USS Dubuque (LPD 8), approach to board the Magellan Star in the Gulf of Aden September 9, 2010. [Agencies]

The Dubuque was in the area en route to a joint training exercise with Jordan and received orders from the White House to assist the anti-piracy task force, Brig. Gen. David Berger, the head of Marine Corps operations at the Pentagon.

"It's a great thing that everything ended without any bloodshed," Salamon said.

In a separate case, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said a cargo ship held for four months by Somali pirates has been freed. He did not say whether ransom was paid for the release of the Bulgarian-flagged chemical tanker Panega, which was hijacked off the Yemeni port of Aden.

Borisov said the 15 Bulgarian crew members were safe.

Related readings:  Chinese tanker repels pirates with water cannons  Somali pirates seize chemical tanker in Red Sea  Cargo ship seized by pirates  Somali pirates release UK-flagged chemical tanker

US warships are part of a 25-nation mission protecting merchant vessels from pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia and into the Gulf of Aden. The task force often opens fire on suspected pirates, but had not previously launched a boarding raid.

In April 2009, a team of Navy Seal sharpshooters positioned on the fantail of a US warship killed a trio of Somali pirates to free an American sea captain who had been taken hostage and was being held at gunpoint onboard a lifeboat.

Last month, Denmark said a helicopter from one of its warships fired warning shots and foiled a pirate attack off Somalia.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last month options under consideration to prosecute suspected pirates include creating a special international court.

More than 140 piracy-related incidents have beeting a special international court.

More than 140 piracy-related incidents have been reported off Somalia's coast since January and more than 30 ships have been hijacked, according to U.N. and anti-piracy task force reports.