S. Korea rescues oil tanker in pirate-infested Somali waters

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said its naval unit rescued a
Panama-registered oil tanker from being hijacked in Somali waters on Wednesday in its latest operation under a U.S.-led anti-piracy campaign.

The incident took place at 11:50 a.m. (Somali time) about 100 km south of the
Yemeni port city of Mukallah, Col. Lee Hyoung-kook, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
official, said in Seoul.
After a distress call was received from the 2,000-ton Nepheli that was traveling
westward, the South Korean destroyer deployed a helicopter, which arrived at the
scene in 15 minutes.
Four ships suspected of carrying pirates and over a dozen small boats were
spotted near the tanker, Lee said.
"Weather conditions appeared favorable for pirate activities," he said.
Lee said the helicopter performed maneuvers to signal a warning, also threatening
to fire.
"The pirate boats then started scattering about, eventually turning away from the
tanker," he said.
The destroyer, carrying 300 troops, has been operating in the Gulf of Aden since
early last month as part of a multinational campaign to combat pirates.
The Cheonghae unit chased away a boat appearing to carry pirates earlier this
week, providing protection for a North Korean freighter by deploying a
helicopter.
It also drove away suspected pirates trying to catch a Denmark-registered ship
last month.
Somalia has not had a functional government since its dictator was overthrown by
warlords in 1991. Poverty has driven a large number of locals to piracy, while
black market sales of weapons run rampant.
Approximately 500 South Korean ships ply the route each year, according to the
JCS, which estimates 150 are vulnerable to pirate attacks because of their low
speed.