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Piracy taskforce sought

London: Merchant seamen have demanded a U.N. crackdown on international piracy after raiders armed with grenade launchers and machine guns tried to hijack a luxury cruise liner off Somalia on Saturday. Two boats full of pirates approached the Seabourn Spirit and opened fire while bandits tried to get on board. The ship escaped by speeding up, then it tacked and the crew deployed a high-decibel sonic gun to deafen the pirates. Eighteen British passengers were on board the ship, which had been bound for Mombasa, Kenya, at the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt. After the attack it was on Sunday heading under full steam to the Seychelles. One crew member was being treated for a shrapnel injury in the ship's hospital.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

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