A US Navy ship, assisted by a Japanese destroyer, the USS Mason, responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker in Middle Eastern waters:
- the Central Park is a small chemical tanker, carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid
- had been seized by 5 armed pirates, they have been apprehended
- an armed U.S. Navy helicopter provided overwatch
- US officials say the tanker has now been freed
- incident occurred in the Gulf of Aden
Further reports indicate that 2 Chinese warships in the area did not respond to the request for assistance.
Last week:
So far these examples of small-scale escalation in the Middle East have been contained.
