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Russian frigate escorts Russian ships along Somali coast
11/26/2008 Source:Russia's Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate has successfully escorted two Russian ships past the Horn of Africa protecting them from Somali pirates, a Russian shipping company said on Tuesday.
"The Chelyabinsk and the FESCO Ob freighters from Russia's Far Eastern Shipping Company concluded their trip through the Gulf of Aden at 13:00 on Monday as part of a convoy escorted by the Neustrashimy frigate," said Lina Sharova, a spokesperson for the company.
In October, Russia dispatched the Neustrashimy from its Northern Fleet to Somalia's coast to protect Russian vessels in the country's waters, where pirates frequently capture ships for ransom.
Somali pirates have attacked over 90 ships so far this year, resulting in the seizure of 39 vessels and the capture of at least 300 merchant seamen for ransom purposes. The East African nation has been without a functioning government since 1991 and has no navy to police its coastline.
On November 13, pirates fired several shots from assault rifles and grenade launchers at a Russian merchant vessel off the coast of Somalia.
The attack on the containership the Kapitan Maslov occurred 300 miles (480 km) off the coast of Somalia. A fire broke out on the vessel as a result of the attack, but the crew managed to maneuver the ship away from the pirates.
Russia earlier said it would establish a regular presence for its warships in the trouble-hit region to ensure safe shipping along the Somali coast.