Chinese ship escapes pirate hijack

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-18-2008 14:24

A Chinese ship withstood a pirate hijack attempt in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, with the help of a multi-national force. The crew and members of the international naval force fought the pirates for hours, but no injuries or deaths were reported.

A Chinese ship withstood a pirate hijack attempt in the  Gulf of Aden on Wednesday

The Zhenhua 4 is owned by China Communications Construction Company.

A group of pirates boarded the vessel on Wednesday, when the ship was sailing in the Gulf of Aden.

In a telephone interview after the incident, the captain of the vessel recalled the frightening moment.

Peng Weiyuan, captain of Zhenhua-4, said, "The attack happened at 8 A-M local time in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, when we were on the way from Sudan to Shanghai. Nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns overtook our ship with speedboats and boarded the vessel. The 30 crew members onboard the ship locked themselves inside their living quarters, using fire hydrants and firebombs to prevent the attackers from entering. We also radioed the situation to the piracy reporting center in Malaysia. The crew members were all so brave during the ordeal that the bandits failed to take over our ship."