The Italian roll on - roll off ship Jolly Smeraldo is again attacked roughly a day after it defeated a pirate assault. There has been no dmage to ship or crew. Owner Ignazio Messina is considering hiring a security company to protect ships. A "determined" attack began at 6:20 a.m. this morning and lasted an hour. Pirates fired RPGs (mistakenly called "bazookas" in reports) one of which struck its target. (Lloyd's List,
04/30/09)
Stefano Messina, the managing director of navigation company Ignazio Messina, criticized regional naval forces:
"It is true that the ocean is huge, but the most recent attacks have been taking place outside the Gulf of Aden, and we need to focus there," he explained, "obviously the pirates are using ships as bases, and are also being protected by certain countries."
(AGI,
04/30/09)
