Chinese seamen rewarded for saving ship from pirates

Captain Peng Weiyuan (front) and other crew members of the  Chinese cargo ship Zhenhua 4 salute to the crowd in a  commendation ceremony at Changxing Island Port in Shanghai,  east China, Jan. 23, 2009.(Xinhua/Chen Fei)

Foreign warships and helicopters were contacted and helped Chinese seamen beat back the pirates later. No one was injured in the attack.

Captain Peng Weiyuan, 57, attributed their success to careful training.

Peng began a drill to fend off a possible pirate attack 10 days before the ship entered the Somali waters.

China sent two navy destroyers and a supply ship to the Gulf of Aden on Dec. 26 to protect Chinese civilian vessels and crews, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreign vessels on request. The vessels arrived in the gulf on Jan. 6.