A U.S. cargo ship is en route to Mombasa, Kenya, after surviving an attack by Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia. The ship, Liberty Sun, is now under U.S. naval escort following the attempted hijacking late Tuesday.
The ship's U.S. owner, Liberty Maritime Corporation of New York said the vessel suffered damage from rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons fire, but no one was injured.
A U.S. military official says the naval destroyer USS Bainbridge was directed to assist the vessel and is now escorting it. The same naval destroyer was involved in Sunday's rescue of U.S. cargo ship captain Richard Phillips, who was held captive by Somali pirates. The U.S. Navy killed three pirates during that rescue operation and captured a fourth. Some pirates have vowed to retaliate.
Since that rescue operation Sunday, pirates have captured four more vessels: a Togo-flagged cargo ship, a Greek freighter and two Egyptian fishing boats.
On Tuesday, the top U.S. military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, told U.S. television program, ABC's "Good Morning America" that he has ordered a review of the U.S. military's strategy on piracy after the hijacking and rescue of the American cargo ship.
The U.S., China and other countries have been conducting naval patrols off the coast of Somalia in an effort to stop rampant piracy. The number of hijackings dropped earlier this year but have surged again over the past month.
Various pirate groups are now holding at least 16 ships with more than 250 crew members.
U.S. President Barack Obama has said the United States will do all it can to halt piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
Source: VOA News
No comments:
Post a Comment