Pirates strike another US ship
The USS Bainbridge was asked to help the Liberty Sun fend off a pirate attack
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Wednesday, 15, Apr 2009 11:31
Pirates have attacked another United States merchant ship off the coast of Somalia but were unable to board the boat.
The Liberty Sun was carrying food aid parcels bound for Mombasa when it came under fire from rocket propelled grenades. Nobody was injured.
The crew immediately requested help from the USS Bainbridge, the American warship which rescued Captain Richard Phillips who was held hostage for five days on a lifeboat by pirates who stormed his ship last week.
By the time the Bainbridge arrived, the pirates had left the scene.
Dramatic details of the attack emerged from an email sent by crew member Tom Urbik, 26, to his parents in Illinois, as reported by the AP news agency.
He said: "We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no-one is hurt. (A) rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."
Liberty Maritime Corp, which owns the Liberty Sun, issued a statement which said: "We are grateful and pleased that no-one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe."
Although damaged, the Liberty Sun was able to continue its journey to Kenya.
Four vessels were seized by pirates in the same area in the 48 hours before the latest attack. A Lebanese and a Greek cargo ship were taken, as well as two Egyptian fishing boats.