VLADIVOSTO: A Russian tanker, which has come under pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden, has safely arrived in the Egyptian port of Suez with a shipment of aviation fuel, a Primorye Shipping Company spokesman said on Friday.
“The vessel has delivered 41,000 tons of aviation fuel to the Suez port and is currently pumping the fuel from on-board tanks to a storage facility on the shore,” the official said.
The Alexandra tanker, with 19 Russian crewmembers onboard, was attacked on September 19 by a motor boat with four gunmen on board.
The pirates opened automatic fire at the bridge, but the crew took evasive action and prevented the assailants from boarding the ship.
South Korean destroyer Daejoyoung on patrol nearby swiftly responded to the tanker’s distress call and the pirates were forced to retreat.
Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are currently deployed on key trade routes in the Gulf of Aden to counter frequent attacks by pirates based in Somalia, which has no functioning government.
Russia has deployed its own task force, comprising a missile destroyer, two support ships and a naval infantry unit, in the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast to protect commercial shipping lines in the area.
There have been around 150 pirate attacks on commercial vessels in the region since the beginning of the year, with over 40 ships captured and at least 270 personnel taken hostage.
