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Pirates Attack Ship Off Somali Coast For Second Time VOA News 29 Jan 2002 22:27 UTC 
A Lebanese shipping company says pirates off the coast of Somalia have attacked one of its ships for the second time in two weeks.
A spokesman for the company said pirates in four speed boats attacked the ship, M.V. Princess Sarah on Tuesday but they fled when a helicopter from the French warship Floreal opened fire on them.
He said the incident took place some 110 kilometers off Northeast Somalia and 100 kilometers from the Gulf of Aden. The first attack on the Princess Sarah occurred on January 14 when they captured the cargo ship.
The pirates, believed to be Somalis, released the Princess Sarah last week after receiving an undisclosed amount of money from the owners. The 18 crew members were later transferred to another ship owned by the Lebanese company.
The crew comprised four Lebanese, eight Ukrainians, five Egyptians and one Syrian.
Somalia is a largely lawless Horn of Africa nation that has not had a functioning central government for a decade. Heavily armed clans control large sections of the country.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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