Somali Pirates Attack US Navy and Demand $2.8 Million for Ship and Crew

Pirates fire on helicopter and demand ransom for crew and ship as owner has problems raising the money.

Attack on U.S. Navy Helicopter

Somali pirates aboard a captured vessel opened fire on a U.S. Navy helicopter as it carried out surveillance. There were no reported casualties or damage, a statement from the Bahrain-based US Naval Forces Central Command reported.

The statement said: "Somali pirates aboard the motor vessel (M/V) Win Far fired what appeared to be a large caliber weapon at a US Navy SH-60B helicopter. The helicopter was conducting a routine surveillance flight over the vessel, which was being held in an anchorage, when the incident occurred."

The shooting came as the helicopter returned to the USS Chancellorsville, where a video recording of the incident was noted. Adding that during the flight the crew was unaware of the attack.

The M/V Win Far is a Taiwanese-flagged vessel that was seized by pirates earlier this year.

Somali pirates demand $2.8 million for ship and crew:

Somali pirates that hijacked the Greek-owned M/V Irene are demanding $2.8 million in exchange for the release of the ship and the Filipino crewmembers, but the ship owner is having difficulty raising the money.

HMES WINNIPEG, a Canadian warship, dispatched a helicopter to the Irene’s location when it was attacked but the pirates succeeded in capturing the ship.

American human rights advocate has appealed to the Philippine government, the United Nations, the African Union, and other international organizations to intervene for the immediate release of the hostages.