The crew of a North Korean ship was rescued on Tuesday by the U.S. Navy, off the coast of Somalia. The ship had been attacked by unidentified men.

When informed of the attack by phone, the U.S. Navy sent out a helicopter from the destroyer James E. Williams that was at 90 kilometers away. According to the Navy, the pirates took control only of the command centre while the engine room and steering controls remained under the crew’s supervision.

When the destroyer approached the North Korean ship, the Dai Hong Dan, it demanded of the pirates to surrender. The order was given through radio. In that moment, the ship’s crew attacked the pirates and gained control over the ship.

Dai Hong Dan’s crew requested medical help from the U.S. ship in order to take care of several people that had been injured during the incident. Three of the crew members had to be taken to the destroyer because of serious injuries.

There were 22 crew members on the North Korean ship and seven pirates, according to media sources. Two of the pirates were killed and five of them remained captured on the Dai Hong Dan.

Commander Lydia Robertson, a Navy spokeswoman, says that ships in distress are always helped by the U.S. Navy, no matter where they come from: “The key issue is helping a mariner in distress, whether there’s a problem with a motor on a fishing vessel, whether someone is sick, we provide assistance to mariners in distress. That’s the overarching mission there.”

She said that most likely the pirates were from Somalia and that piracy in that region is a problem.

According to Voice of America’s reporter in Nairobi, who was told by the head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, a business dispute happened on board of the ship. The seven men who tried to take control of it were security guards of one of the companies involved. This is the 26th ship hijacking off the Somali coast, reported this year.

According to an international report issued this month, pirate attacks jumped to 14 percent from January to September 2007; the highest increase is reported in the waters of Somalia and Nigeria, very poorly guarded by he police.