New Delhi, December 7, 2009: An Indian Navy warship successfully repulsed a pirate attack on a US-owned tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia coast.

A Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden prevented an attack of pirates on a private tanker flying a Norway flag and owned by US company today, a Navy spokesperson said here.

MT Nordik Spirit, the tanker owned by the Nordik Shipping Company, was sailing in the Gulf of Aden around 1500 hours when the pirates made an attempt to hijack it and fired small arms at the crew members.

The crew immediately sent out a distress signal and the Indian navy ship, which was in the vicinity, responded to the SOS call, he said.

The warship flew out its helicopters with Marine Commandos and on seeing it, the pirates gave up their hijack attempt on the tanker, the spokesperson said.

Later, the warship accompanied the tanker and escorted it to safety.

The Indian Navy has been taking part in global anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden against the Somali sea brigands since October last year and one of its Frigates had "a kill" last November when a mother ship of the pirates was destroyed.

The Naval ships, which have a 365-day presence there, have escorted over a 100 merchant vessels in the last one year, most of them foreign-owned.