Private security guards aboard a merchant ship off the coast of East Africa fired on and killed a Somali raider after a group of pirates attacked their vessel, it emerged today.

A gang of Somali pirates lost two of their boats after mistakenly attacking a Dutch warship today.

International military chiefs signalled a new, more aggressive strategy against piracy, as swarms of Somalis moved into the waters off East Africa.

DANISH special forces yesterday stormed a ship captured by armed Somali pirates and freed the 25 crew on board, an EU naval spokesman said, marking the first time a warship has intervened during a hijacking.

PIRATES seized a British-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian-flagged carrier off Somalia’s coast and were holding 45 crew members yesterday, a maritime official has said.

Somali pirates have seized an oil supertanker in an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat.

Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama merchant ship again today just seven months after capturing its captain who had to be freed in a special forces operation.