Maersk vessel attacked by pirates in Gulf of Oman

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Maersk vessel attacked by pirates in Gulf of Oman

By John Acher

COPENHAGEN | Wed May 23, 2012 1:04pm EDT

(Reuters) - Pirates in the Gulf of Oman attacked the Maersk Texas, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, but onboard guards repelled them, Maersk Line Ltd, a unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk, said on Wednesday.

The attack on the ship - a 19,592 deadweight tonnes (dwt) vessel which is 148 metres (486 feet) long - took place at noon local time on Wednesday when it was passing through the Gulf of Oman, northeast of the Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, Maersk Line Ltd said.

The vessel had just left the Straits of Hormuz and was on its way back to the United States, a spokesman said.

"Numerous skiffs with armed men in each boat quickly closed on Maersk Texas," Maersk Line Ltd, a U.S. unit of the Maersk group, said in a statement.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/23/us-vessel-pirates-maersk-idUSBRE84M13Z20120523

[Eugene]

1. Iran navy saves US freighter from pirates: report

Source: Agence France-Presse

Iran navy saves US freighter from pirates: report

AFP – 13 hrs ago

Iran's navy said Thursday it saved an American-flagged cargo ship that was being attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Oman.

An Iranian warship responded to a distress signal from the US-flagged Maersk Texas, a cargo ship of 150 metres (500 feet) and 14,000 tonnes, which was besieged by "several pirate boats," the navy said in a statement reported by the official IRNA news agency.

The cargo vessel "was saved by the navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran" on Wednesday, IRNA added.

The pirates "fled the scene as soon as they spotted the presence" of the warship. Maersk Texas "thanked the Iranian navy and sailed towards its destination safely," it added.

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-navy-saves-us-freighter-pirates-report-110142224.html