Pirates attacked Japanese supertanker
Two U.S. Navy warships patrolling the Gulf of Oman disrupted an attack on Feb 4, 2011, by pirates on the "Duqm" sailing from Fujairah to Yeosu in South Korea. The USS "Momsen" and the USS "Bunker Hill" responded to a call from the vessel, whose crew reported pirates were attempting to board their ship. The warships arrived to find two pirate skiffs pulled up to the tanker with ladders out to board the ship. The Navy vessels chased off the pirates and tracked their movements back to a larger ship from which they were operating in the Arabian Sea. The Navy then fired on and destroyed the skiffs to prevent their use in further attacks.
VLCC Duqm IMO 9410387, dwt 310084, built 2008, flag Panama, owner MOL Japan.