Yet Another Pirate Tale Off Somalia - Updated

It was reported yesterday that yet another ship was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, the North Korean ship MV Dia Honga Dan. Boarded by 8 gunmen, the crew of 22 was overpowered, until they decided to fight back...

The crew of a ship hijacked from Somalia overpowered their attackers Tuesday and regained control of the vessel, officials said.

About two dozen crew members of the North Korea-flagged vessel were able to fight off the eight gunmen who had seized the vessel late Monday, and the crew was piloting the ship back to the war-battered city's port in Mogadishu, said Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program, which independently monitors piracy in the region.

He said first reports that the vessel was from South Korea were incorrect, and that the crew numbered about 22, instead of nearly twice that number as earlier reported.

An international watchdog reported this month that pirate attacks worldwide jumped 14 percent in the first nine months of 2007, with the biggest increases off the poorly policed waters of Somalia and Nigeria.

Keep an eye on Eagle1's place, he will no doubt have all the details from his seemingly unlimited sources of that regions security as yet another saga of piracy off Somalia unfolds.

Update1: CDR Salamader has the rest of the story involving the USS James E Williams (DDG 95). It is noteworthy that now there are forces from SNMG1 and SNMG2 in the Indian Ocean.