Yemeni tanker escapes pirate attack

MAKHA, June 15 (Saba) - A Yemeni oil tanker has escaped a pirate
attack off the Makha port in the Red Sea.

Somali pirates intercepted the tanker and tried to take over it, but
the crew managed to flee the pirates.

Informed sources said that the pirates pursued the tanker, but it
sent a distress call to the Coast Guards in the area who immediately
offered help.

The tanker has arrived in the port safely.

In recent years, Somali pirates have stepped up their attacks
against vessels and tankers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in
the Indian Ocean.

Many anti-piracy ships have been sent to the region to hunt
Somali pirates. However, the ships sometimes attack Yemeni fishing
boats, killing and injuring crews.

Several Yemeni fishermen have been killed and others wounded this
year when their boats came under attacks by international forces
hunting Somali pirates.

Late last month, two Yemeni sailors were killed when a missile fired
by one of the naval ships hunting pirates in the Red Sea hit their
boat.