Pirates strike 450 miles east of Tanzania

Somali pirates continue to extend their range of operations.

AFP and other agencies report the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center as saying that on Saturday pirates attacked a Dutch operated, Hong Kong flag containership when it was 450 nautical miles east of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and 350 nautical miles west of the Seychelles.

The ship reported seeing eight pirates in two speed boats who fired semi-automatic weapons and an RPG launcher, causing a fire to break out on the containership.

The ship, with a crew of 19 on board, took evasive action and managed to escape the pirates.