Heavily armed pirates spark regional shipping alert

A worrying trend in the increasing intensity and ferocity of pirate attacks on commercial shipping vessels has put the regional shipping industry on high alert, as attacks on container, vehicle and general cargo ships continue to rise.

Ship Master's, pilots and crew are being warned to be vigilant on the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea by the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Alert service. North Korea's MV Dai Hong Dan cargo vessel was violently hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia late last month. A US Navy destroyer tracked the cargo ship after engaging pirates who had hijacked the vessel, helping the crew to regain control. Three seriously injured crew members have since been transferred to a naval vessel for treatment. Five pirates were captured and two were killed when the US Navy recaptured the ship.
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