MV Biscaglia
Encyclopedia
{|Unarmed, the security guards attempted to repel the attackers for about 40 minutes by firing water cannon, zigzagging the skiff, and using a LRAD
Long range acoustic device
The Long Range Acoustic Device is a distance hailing device and non-lethal crowd control weapon developed by LRAD Corporation to send messages, warnings, and harmful, pain inducing tones over longer distances than normal loudspeakers....

, a non-lethal weapon that fires focused sound beams producing excruciating pain. A distress signal
Distress signal
A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination, or making an audible sound, from a distance....

 was received at 0447 hours UTC by the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre, in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

. After the pirates boarded the ship and continued to shoot at the security force, the guards managed to escape by jumping overboard. They were rescued from the sea by a German navy helicopter, and taken first to the French light monitoring frigate Nivôse before being transferred to the Jean de Vienne, a F70 type
Georges Leygues class frigate
The Georges Leygues class is a class of anti-submarine frigates of the French Navy. They are polyvalent , due to their Exocet and Crotale missile complement, making them especially suitable for defence of strategic positions, demonstrations, or highseas escorts.The superstructures were built as to...

 anti-submarine frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 of the French Marine Nationale
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

.

The incident caused the usefulness of LRADs to be called into question by Lloyd's List
Lloyd's List
Lloyd's List is one of the world's oldest continuously-running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734. Now published daily, a recent issue was numbered 59,200...

.

Ransom

As of November 30, no ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...

demand had been reported.

The vessel was finally released on 24 January 2009 thanks to the efforts of Ishima and ISEC. The crew still remaining on the vessel at the time of its release are reported as being in good health.

External links

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