Cruise ship captain tells of battle with pirates

The captain of an Italian cruise ship embroiled in a high-seas firefight with pirates said Sunday the vessel sustained smashed windows and bullet holes, but would continue its journey under naval escort.

Ciro Pinto, captain of the Melody with more than 1,500 passengers and crew aboard, said one passenger and one crew member had been injured when panic broke out aboard as the pirates closed on the vessel and opened fire.

The Melody had come under sudden attack from six armed men aboard a fast rubber boat using Kalashnikovs, Pinto told Italy's ANSA news agency, adding that the pirates were operating from a mother ship in the area.

"After four or five minutes, they tried to put a ladder on the bow," Pinto said.

However, security men aboard the ship "opened fire, and when they saw we were shooting, they abandoned their effort and went away."

"They still followed us for about 20 minutes and continued to fire at us," he added.

The incident happened late Saturday in the Indian Ocean off Somalia. Pinto said it was an evening he will "never forget. It was as if we were at war."

The captain did not elaborate on security measures aboard his ship as it sailed through the pirate infested waters on its way to the Jordanian port of Aqaba with 991 passengers and a crew of 536.

However, Domenico Pellegrino, managing director of the liner's owners MSC, said the Melody was protected by Israeli security guards.

"We use them because they are the best. And we have had a demonstration of that," said Pellegrino.

The Melody escaped with relatively slight damage, including bullet holes in its hull, broken windows and a lifeboat hit by gunfire, the captain said.

The ship was continuing on its passage and was expected to rendezvous with international naval vessels in the Indian Ocean in order to complete its voyage.

Somali pirates are holding at least 17 other ships, with a total of nearly 300 hostages, after attacks on commercial vessels in the area soared to record levels in 2009.

At least 11 ships have been hijacked since the start of April, despite the presence of around 20 foreign naval vessels in the area.

Heavily armed pirates operating high-powered speed boats sometimes hold ships for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or ship owners.