Chinese warships dispatched after pirate attack in Arabian Sea

Three Chinese warships have been sent to escort a Chinese cargo vessel that was attacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre said on Sunday.                   
The Taishankou sent a distress call to the centre on Saturday and Chinese ships assigned to escort duty in the Gulf of Aden joined the cargo ship on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported.             
 

The centre said the 21-member crew hid in a safety compartment on board the Taishankou when the pirates boarded. It said all crew members, who are Chinese nationals, had been accounted for, but did not give information on their condition.                                            
Pirates attacked another Chinese cargo ship, the Lecong, on Thursday in the Indian Ocean, Xinhua reported. One of the 26-member crew was injured in a battle with pirates.                                           
 

The ship, which belongs to China's COSCO Shipping Co. Ltd., is sailing to Oman under the protection of a Chinese warship, Xinhua reported the Liberation Army Daily as saying.              
 

Piracy is rife off the coast of Somalia, disrupting shipping lanes between Europe and Asia, putting crews and vessels in danger and jacking up insurance rates for ship-owners.