Cyprus-Forum.com

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http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndu ... 1720090814

BERLIN, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A German Navy helicopter thwarted a suspected pirate attack on a Turkish ship in the Gulf of Aden on Friday by firing warning shots at a speed boat as it approached the MS Elgiznur Cebi, the German armed forces said.

Responding to a call for help from the Turkish vessel, the German helicopter from the warship Bremen, part of a European Union mission to combat piracy, spotted a speed boat with six people and ladders in it.

It fired warning shots and the speed boat stopped. A Greek naval vessel, the HS Narvarinon, also responded to the call for help then boarded the speedboat and discovered weapons on board.

Piracy has surged off the Somali coast in recent years where sea gangs continue to defy foreign navies patrolling the vast shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe. Germany has two warships patrolling in the region.

Piracy attacks around the world more than doubled to 240 from 114 during the first six months of the year, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre. (Writing by Erik Kirschbaum)