A skiff launched from a white sailing vessel in the Gulf of Aden attacks the Handytankers Magic, a Russian-crewed tanker en route to Suez and registered in the Marshall Islands. Four pirates shot small arms and RPGs at the commercial ship, with one unexploded grenade being found on board after the attack. The crew fought off attackers with a water cannon. (Moscow News, 04/22/09)Handytankers Magic was recently built in China for Greece's Roxana Shipping. The mother ship appeared to be a "black-painted ship with black flag," and the tanker maintained contact with (unnamed) military authotities throughout the incident. After firing the RPG, the pirates broke off the attack. (Vostock Media, 04/22/09)
The attack ended when
the Dutch frigate De Zeven Provincien repulsed an attack by seven pirates on the petroleum tanker MT Handytankers Magic. The frigate tracked the pirates back to a "mother ship", which turned out to be a kidnapped Yemeni dhow and freed 20 captive fishermen. The 7 pirates were captured without a fight, but released as the Dutch did not have the legal authority to detain them...(Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)
