A South Korean naval helicopter chased away three suspected pirate ships attempting to approach a South Korean commercial vessel in Somali waters over the weekend, the military here said Monday.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Cheonghae Unit received a call from the 17,000-ton vessel Azalea around 1 a.m. Sunday, Korean time, that three ships were approaching. The naval unit dispatched a Lynx helicopter from its destroyer, Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin, and the chopper fired off three flares at 2:18 a.m.
The three suspected ships disappeared from the Azalea's radar about 30 minutes later, the JCS said. An official said it was too dark to confirm the presence of pirates on the suspected ships, and the helicopter returned to the destroyer after the Azalea entered the safe waters near Ethiopia.
The JCS added the ship had four South Korean crew members, including the captain, plus 18 Filipinos and two Britons. The ship was traveling from Egypt to Singapore, the JCS said. (Yonhap)
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