The German-Italian owned cruise ship Melody is attacked with 1,500 aboard "325 kilometers north of the Seychelles, and about 800 kilometers east of Somalia." Armed Israeli security guards drove off the pirates. MSC Cruises owns the vessel and "said Msc Cruises hired the Israelis because they were the best-trained security staff, the ANSA news agency reported. (Haaretz, 04/27/09)"Six armed pirates in a speedboat attacked the ship," which was enroute to Italy. No one was hurt in the exchange of fire. (CNN, 04/26/09)
A man purporting to be the commander of the attack said,
"Unfortunately, for technical reasons, we could not seize the ship," Mohamed(AFP, 04/27/09)
Muse told AFP by phone from the pirate lair of Eyl, in the northern Somali breakaway state of Puntland."We were aware that hijacking such a big ship would have been a new landmark in piracy off the coast of Somalia but unfortunately they used good tactics and we were not able to board," he said.
Updates (posted 04/28/09)
ASpanish warship, the Numancia, assisted by planes and helicopters "found two small boats with nine suspects on board close to the scene of the attack" and has arrested the nine suspected pirates. (AFP via BBC, 04/27/09)
The suspects have been handed over to the Seychelles for trial. (Radio Netherlands, 04/28/09)
The IMB dates this incident to Sunday, 4/26/09. (ICC/IMB Website)
