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British marines free hijacked Italian ship off coast of Somalia
British commandos have stormed an Italian cargo ship which was hijacked by Somalia pirates in the Indian Ocean, rescuing the crew and capturing nearly a dozen pirates. The Marines, armed with pistols and SA-80 automatic rifles and operating from a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, the RFA Fort Victoria, sped towards the hijacked ship in inflatable boats as a British helicopter buzzed overhead. They boarded the 56,000-ton bulk carrier Montecristo and disarmed the pirates without encountering any opposition. It was a compliant boarding the 11 pirates surrendered without firing a shot, said a Ministry of Defence spokesman. They were arrested and detained on board the ship. The ships 23 crew seven Italians, six Ukrainians and 10 Indians were released unharmed. Four of the Italians were privately-contracted security guards, but in line with international practise they were unarmed and had been powerless to fend off the pirates. The crew had taken refugee inside a secure, armoured area of the bridge when the ship was hijacked, from where they were able to send out distress signals. They also continued to control the vessels movements, steering it towards the antipiracy forces. Posted by: lotp 2011-10-13 |
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