THE Danish 46,920-dwt TORM Republican recently deterred a pirate attack in the Southern Arabian sea en route to Taiwan from Suez along with several other tanker attacks.

The crew of 21 Indians and four British armed guards were able to scare off six pirates in a skiff who opened fire, with guards returning warning shots, reported London-based Tanker Operator.

TORM executive vice president Claus Jensen said he was relieved all crew and guards were unhurt. "This incident shows that TORM's decision to use armed guards was the right one," he said.

Further attacks included a rocket firing on the Tokyo Marine's Panamanian-flagged 16,200 dwt chemical tanker, Ginga Bobcat, carrying phosphoric acid. The attack from a small vessel off the Yemeni coast in the Red Sea took place en route from Morocco to India. The rocket impact created a hole about 10 centimetres in diameter in the lower part of the bridge.

The Ginga Bobcat crew of 24 Bangladeshis were unhurt.

Pirate still holdings the Spanish tanker, the 45,600-dwt MR Mattheos, released one of 23-man crew. The man was slightly injured when the ship was seized off West Africa. No a ransom was taken but all diesel fuel on board was stolen, said the Consultores de Navegacion spokeswoman Sheena Campbell. As with Somali pirates, attacks off West Africa are for cargo steals rather than ransom money, she added.