HARMONY STAR

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Pirate attack in Strait of Hormuz thwarted

A pirate attack on the "Tateyama" in the Strait of Hormuz was thwarted on Feb 28 , 2014. At 12.18 a.m. LT lookouts on the VLCC spotted a two skiffs accelerating towards the tanker. Sensing the ship’s vulnerability due to not having a protective armed security team embarked, the master broadcasted a distress message to other nearby vessels and the Omani Coastguard requesting immediate assistance. As the skiffs closed on the vessel, the master initiated a ship wide lock down and increased the speed of the vessel to maximum. The Combined Maritime Forces counter piracy force CT151 scrambled the Australian frigate HMAS "Darwin", and a Pakistan Navy maritime patrol aircraft was quickly on the scene, joined shortly after by a US maritime patrol aircraft. One of the skiffs stopped in the water while the other reduced speed to 12.5 knots bringing the threat of an attack to an end. When the vessels entered Omani waters the Oman Coastguard took over and managed to stop the skiffs and questioned the men onboard. Report with photo: http://www.seatrade-global.com/news/asia/pirate-attacks-on-vlcc-in-straits-of-hormuz-thwarted.html