Rescue comes before pirates force crew from panic room by torching ship

THE Greek-owned, Cypriot-flagged 22,600-ton Pacific Express was boarded by six pirates from two skiffs who set the ship ablaze in an attempt to force the crew of 26 from their locked panic room, or "citadel", after the pirates were unable to get the vessel underway.

But the Italian destroyer, the 6,000-ton Andrea Doria, part of the NATO anti-piracy patrol, responded to the general cargo ship`s distress call in time, and the pirates fled before the warship could send a boarding party to rescue the 25 Filipinos and one Ukrainian crew.


The crew was evacuated and taken to Mombasa where the cargo ship was headed to discharge 3,300 tons of steel bars and coils.