A Russian Navy destroyer has resisted a pirate attack against a container ship near the western coast of Africa, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.
Destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov received a distress signal from Panama-registered container ship Lucia on route from Togo to Cameroon a few weeks ago, the ministry said in a statement, and dispatched a unit of marines on a helicopter to it.
The pirates immediately fled, allowing Russian soldiers to free the ship's crew. What was deemed another catastrophic strike by pirates in the region, was saved by the Russian destroyer which was part of a group patrolling the Gulf of Guinea to ensure the security of civilian navigation.
Additionally, pooling their resources to combat piracy, Nigeria which has a powerful naval force has signed a memorandum with its French-speaking neighbors, Benin and Togo, to start the first joint patrols.
Pirate attacks have been worsening all around Africa, so collective forces combating such atrocities is a welcome sign.
Written by Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Deemed (v) regular verb, (syn) thought, believed, considered, supposed, regarded, viewed
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