Russian warship wins shootout with Somali pirates, rescues sailors

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The crew of a Russian warship engaged in a firefight with Somali pirates during a dawn raid on Thursday, and successfully released 23 seamen who had been taken hostage aboard an oil tanker a day earlier.

The vessel was hijacked Wednesday morning in the Gulf of Aden while it was en route from Sudan to China carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil worth $52 million.

The raid against the Liberian-flagged tanker, the Moscow University, occurred after the crew locked themselves in the ship's rudder compartment, according to The New York Times.

IN PICTURES: Somali pirates

[Commander John Harbour, a spokesman for the European Union Naval Force] said a helicopter from the Russian destroyer, the Marshal Shaposhnikov, approached the tanker “and was fired upon by pirates.” The destroyer, knowing the merchant crew was locked down and safe, turned its guns onto the superstructure of the tanker as the pirates put up resistance. The Russian sailors offered a “robust” response, Commander Harbour said, and the pirates, thought to be from Somalia, eventually surrendered to a boarding party.

Ten pirates were detained aboard the tanker, reports the BBC. They will be transferred to Moscow to face trial. The entire crew of Moscow University emerged unscathed, though the BBC mentioned "unconfirmed reports" that one pirate was killed during this morning’s firefight.

Commander Harbour described the rescue as “an excellent operation all around,” reports the Associated Press. He said the EU Naval Force coordinated and worked at a "tactical level" with the Russian warship.

While the EU Naval Force is reportedly disrupting pirates and destroying their ships at a higher rate than in past years, this latest incident may be perceived as a setback.

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