Somali pirates lose gunfight with armed guards on cargo ship in dramatic footage

02 April 2023 , 06:02

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Somali pirates lose gunfight with armed guards on cargo ship in dramatic footage

Dramatic footage shows the moment of a fierce firefight between US mercenaries and Somali pirates as they try to hijack a cargo ship.

The attack, which is believed to have happened in 2012, shows the pirates firing a number of rounds from their sub-machine guns.

A speedboat carrying the pirates can be seen heading straight towards the large vessel as a private security contractor waits to take aim at it.

In the footage, a guard is shown firing several warning shots around the small boat, missing just nearly.

After several shots, the speedboat crashes into the ship's hull.

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After losing sight of them, one contractor then shouts: "Where they at, what's their position?"

The attack is believed to have happened in 2012 (Humans At Sea/Youtube)

But just as one speedboat careers off, another speed boat can be seen racing towards the starboard of the ship.

The contractors begin firing dozens of shots at the vessels which also eventually retreats.

The footage, which was uploaded on April 20, 2017, was believed to have taken place in the Indian ocean sometime in 2012.

This comes after reports of another pirate attack on a Danish ship this week (Thursday, March 30).

The attack is believed to have taken place in the Indian ocean (Humans At Sea/Youtube)

The French navy found the hijacked Monjasa Reformer in the Gulf of Guinea, but a part of its crew had been kidnapped.

The oil and chemical tanker has been located off the coast of Sao Tome and Principe with some of its members missing.

It was reported three sailors have been taken captive out of its 16 members.

The safety of those captured is still unknown.

A speedboat can be seen hurtling towards the vessel (Humans At Sea/Youtube)

The Gulf of Guinea, stretching from Senegal to Angola, has been often plagued by piracy.

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But in recent years, West African countries, particularly Nigeria, have stepped up patrols in the region.

And thanks to collaborations between naval authorities rolled out in 2021, piracy cases have been on the decline, the UN Security Council states.

The number of attacks has reportedly dropped significantly leading up to 2022 with 19 attacks.

A total of 35 attacks were reported in 2021 and 84 were reported in 2020.

Florence Freeman