Security forces aboard a Libyan oil tanker heading to China beat off an attack by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, an oil company official told AFP on Monday.
"Pirates approached the vessel and began firing warning shots," said Tarek Youssef of the Libyan National Maritime Transport Company which leased the ship.
"The captain refused to stop his ship and security members on board riposted using water cannon," he said, adding that the pirates then headed off without causing any damage to the tanker.
The attack took place on Sunday as the vessel, with a crew of 21 and carrying more than 144,000 tonnes of oil, was heading to China from Sudan.
Since the beginning of 2009, pirates have tried to seize more than 100 ships off the Somali coast, demanding millions of dollars in ransom.
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