An Italian merchant ship escaped two attacks by suspected Somali pirates on Thursday after successfully fending off another hijack attempt Wednesday.
On Thursday pirates armed with bazookas first approached the Jolly Smeraldo around 300 miles off the Somali coast at dawn in an attack that lasted for around an hour, according to Stefano Messina, the CEO of the company that owns the ship, Ignazio Messina & C Spa.
The 24-man crew, which includes 15 Italians, were able to ward off the pirates using diversionary manoeuvres and a high-pressure salt-water hose.
Pirates in two small boats launched a second attack two hours later but were again prevented from boarding by the crew, who were said to be unharmed.
The Jolly Smeraldo reported that the pirates continued to follow them at a distance after the second attack but have since disappeared off the radar.
The only military ship in the area is 100 miles away and there is no possibility of offering immediate assistance to the Italian ship, which left Mombasa in Kenya on Tuesday and is continuing on its way to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
''We're in touch with the ship and we're busy dealing with the emergency. The crew members are all well,'' said Messina.
On Wednesday the ship's crew fended off another attack 300 miles south-east of Mogadishu after a small boat with seven pirates approached it and opened fire.
Pirates have stepped up activity in Somali waters in recent weeks, capturing or attempting to capture dozens of foreign ships.
On Saturday the Italian-owned Melody cruise ship foiled an attack by suspected Somali pirates 200 miles north of the Seychelles using a salt-water hose to wash pirates off a ladder they were using to try to board the ship.
The Melody, with 1,500 people aboard, is now heading back to Italy after a 22-day cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa.
A third Italian ship, the Buccaneer, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on April 11. The ship's crew of 16, ten of whom are Italians, are still being held.
