NAIROBI, Kenya - South Korean snipers hovering in a helicopter Monday chased away pirates pursuing a North Korean freighter, while a Russian warship freed eight Iranian citizens held hostage for more than three months.
The two dramatic rescues in the Gulf of Aden come as piracy grips the lawless coast off Somalia.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the 4,500-ton-class warship sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the North Korean vessel shortly after receiving a distress call that it was being chased by the pirate ship.
The pirate vessel gave up chasing the North Korean vessel and sped away after snipers aboard the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots, the statement said.
The incident took place 37 kilometres south of the Yemeni port of Aden, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Somalia and Yemen are separated by the Gulf of Aden.
The high seas drama was a rare instance of recent cooperation between the two Koreas. Relations have badly frayed since a conservative government in Seoul took power last year with a vow to get tough on the North over its nuclear program. Pyongyang has responded by cutting ties and halting or restricting key joint reconciliation projects.
Piracy has been exploding off Somalia's ungoverned coast in recent years, with bandits stalking the high seas and bringing in millions of dollars in ransom.
Owners of ships plying the pirate-infested waters off Somalia's coast have balked at having firearms onboard, despite an increasing number of attacks where bullets pierced hulls or rocket propelled grenades whooshed overhead.
The reason is twofold: Owners fear pirates would be more likely to continue shooting once on board if they confronted weapons, and the company might be held liable for deaths or injuries inflicted by someone on the vessel.
The pirates almost always get paid -- and their wealth is all the more shocking in light of Somalia's stunning poverty. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging the arid country into chaos.
Nearly every Somali public institution has crumbled.
Last year, dozens of ships were hijacked and an estimated $1 million per boat was paid in ransom for their release, according to analysts. Each pirate is believed to get on average $10,000 for a successful hijacking.
Ship owners typically air drop the plastic-wrapped cash into the sea.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the helicopter, also armed with missiles and machine guns, circled above the pirate ship that was about 3 kilometres away from the North Korean freighter.
The South Korean helicopter guided the North Korean ship to a safer area and the ship later sent a thank you message to the South Korean vessel several times, the statement said.
The 6,399-ton North Korean ship was carrying iron ore and was sailing from the Red Sea to India, a South Korean JCS officer said on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.
The South Korean ship has been operating off Somalia since last month on a mission to protect South Korean cargo ships from Somali pirates.
A number of other countries, including Japan, have dispatched naval vessels to patrol the dangerous waters and protect shipping amid a spate of pirate attacks.
Also Monday, Iran's embassy in Moscow said a Russian warship freed eight Iranians who were seized along with suspected Somali pirates last week. The embassy said the Iranians had been held captive by the pirates for almost three months, and praised the Russian Navy for the rescue.
The Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev captured a vessel with 29 suspected Somali pirates last week. Russian media had reported that Iranian and Pakistani fishermen were detained along with the suspected pirates.
A Russian Navy spokesman on Monday confirmed the Iranians were released but would not elaborate. He said the fate of the suspected pirates was still under consideration.
