20100405
PRESS TV

The European Union Naval Force says one of its frigates freed a German cargo ship that had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, arresting 10 attackers.

The Dutch frigate, Tromp, rescued the 12,612-ton MV Taipan, which was en route to Mombasa, Kenya from Djibouti, when pirates attacked it on Monday morning and took it over, a Press TV correspondent reported, quoting the Dutch defense ministry.

The Dutch vessel rescued the ship and its 13 crew members at around 1140 GMT about 900 kilometers (560 miles) east of the Somali coast, it said.

A Dutch soldier was slightly wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the pirates.

The Dutch navy launched the operation as part of an EU naval mission called Operation Atalanta, which protects shipping along the key route off Somalia.

Foreign fleets are patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa as part of a UN-led anti-piracy mission to deter Somali pirates, who have become more sophisticated and broadened their range of operations in seizing vulnerable vessels transiting the waters.

There are still eight vessels and 157 hostages in the hands of Somali pirates, an official said on March 31.