Navies Team Up to Catch Pirates

Helicopters from two nations thwarted an attack Friday by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. A U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Virginia -- from the same fleet as the Maersk Alabama, whose captain was held captive for four days in April – and a Lebanese-flag cargo ship, the Maria K, were both rescued.

The attack was reported by CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar, who was aboard the Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg when it first responded to a distress call by the Maria K. Its crew reported rocket propelled grenade fire from the pirates.

Within minutes, three naval helicopters from the Winnipeg were in the air and on their way to the Maria K, located about 60 miles away, CBS News reported. The pirates broke off their pursuit of the Maria K and headed instead for the nearby American ship.

An Italian Navy helicopter joined the Canadian aircraft. With the helicopters hovering overhead, the pirates gave up their attempted hijacking and threw their weapons overboard before their boat was boarded by Italian seamen.

The Gulf of Aden is infested with Somali pirates, but is a crucial shipping channel for hundreds of merchant vessels passing to and from the Suez Canal every day. An increasing number of international warships have been moved to the region to protect them.

Many merchant ships are now navigating the gulf in convoys. Though naval forces are not plentiful enough to escort the convoys, they are supposed to be able to reach them within 30 minutes by helicopter in the event of an attack.

Captain Sean Hughes of the Maersk Virginia went through a similar ordeal in the Gulf of Aden in November 2008, when pirates chased him as he piloted the same vessel to safety by out-maneuvering the bandits.

Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.