Us and british special forces storm italian hijacked ship
British and Us special forces have stormed Italian cargo ship Montecristo hijacked by Somali pirates, with 23 people on board in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Seven of the crew aboard the Montecristo are Italian according to Italian defence ministry font. The special forces were operating under the Nato counter piracy mission, Op Ocean Shield. The 56,000-ton bulk carrier Montecristo was hijacked 620 miles off Somalia on Monday, October 10, by 11 pirates in a small boat. It was stated on other reports that an unarmed security team were aboard the vessel and had stayed in position as the crew retreated to the citadel, reports BBC News. All of the 23-man crew from Italy, India and the Ukraine have been freed. A report states that 11 Somali pirates were detained. The Italian defence minister stated the crew aboard the D’Alessio Group-owned cargo ship were doing well. He did not disclose whether the pirates were on board. Italy’s ANSA newagency said the rescue operation, which was in progress, was agreed between British Defence Minister Liam Fox and his Italian counterpart Ignazio La Russa. The rescue mission comes as the Italy is to station military forces on its merchant vessels to guard against attacks by Somali pirates, shipping sources said on Tuesday, the day after another of its ships was attacked off the anarchic east African country. Many ships already carry private security contractors to try to prevent hijacks, but deployment of military forces on merchant vessels would mark a clear escalation in measures to combat piracy, which costs the world economy billions of dollars each year. The sources said Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa would sign an agreement later on Tuesday with the confederation of Italian ship owners to put military guards on board vessels in the huge area of the Indian Ocean at risk from Somali pirates, who have hijacked several Italian ships.