German gunboats abort bid to seize Egyptian cargo ship off Somalia
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CAIRO, Dec 25 (KUNA) -- A German warship cruising off the shores of Somalia scrambled into action at sea when Somali pirates made a futile bid to commandeer an Egyptian vessel in the sea waters early on Thursday.
Ambassador Ahmad Rezek, the assistant foreign minister, said in a statement that the cargo ship, "Wadi Al-Arab," was targeted with an RPG but several German gunboats cruising nearby, including the warship, "Carlsruhe," confronted the pirates and foiled their bid to take over the Egyptian ship.
The ship, with 30 Egyptian sailors and crew members on board, is now being escorted by some German ships while sailing toward South Korea, he said.
The ship is carrying wheat loaded in the Ukraine. It will unloaded at a South Korean port.
NEWS @KUNA
