Chinese ship escapes pirate hijack

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The piracy reporting center quickly alerted the international naval force, which dispatched two helicopters and a warship to help deter the hijacking.

The pirates stood on deck.

After arriving at the scene the helicopters fired at the pirates, forcing them to flee the ship.

There were no injuries during the five-hour ordeal.

It was the latest in a series of attacks by Somali pirates on Chinese vessels. On Tuesday, China said it was considering sending warships to the area to help battle piracy.

The announcement came during a unanimous UN Security Council vote to authorize nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the coast of Somalia.