Pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at Japanese, Greek and Hong Kong cargo ships off the coast of Somalia, officials said on Monday. No one was injured in the attacks, the latest to be reported in Somalia's pirate-infested waters.Masami Suekado, a Japanese Transport Ministry official, said pirates in two small vessels approached the Jasmine Ace and fired several shots before fleeing. Bullets broke windows and hit the ceiling of the bridge.
In the other attacks, pirates in two small boats fired RPGs and machine guns for 30 minutes at a Hong Kong container ship but the vessel managed to escape. An hour later, the brigands fired at a Greek bulk carrier but aborted the attempt after the ship took anti-piracy measures, including evasive maneuvers, he said.
The Japanese cargo ship was attacked four hours after the Greek carrier.
"Fortunately no one was injured and killed. It is believed to be the same pirate group and it shows they are now operating in the southern part of Somalia," said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Atsuko Nakajima, a spokesman for Mitsui O.S.K Lines, which operates the Japanese ship, said 18 people--all from the Philippines--were aboard the ship, which was carrying a cargo of automobiles.