North Korean ship Taehongdan attackt by pirates off the coast of Somalia

Posted by Akiva

October 29, 2007

On Oct. 29, 2007, the North Korean flagged trading ship Taehongdan, came under a surprise attack by seven armed pirates disguised as guards off the coast of Somalia. The pirates giant control over the ship and detained the sailors in the engine room demanding that the crewmen pay a ransom of 15,000 U.S. dollars.
Overpowering two pirates how stood guard, the sailors seized their weapons and switched on the automatic warning device which informed the International Maritime Organization and the Piracy Reporting Centre of the IMB stationed in Malaysia of the pirate attack. While the IMB contacted the nearby U.S. navy destroyer which dispatched a helicopter with a boarding party, the sailors waged a gunfight against the pirates. As the result of the gunfight and the help of the U.S. Navy the pirates dropped arms and surrendered at around 16:30 on Oct. 30, 20 hours after the start of the gun fight. One pirate was killed and six sailors were wounded during the fight. A surgeon of the U.S. destroyer provided first-aid treatment to the wounded sailors.