British and Russia warships repel pirates

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian and a British ship Wednesday repelled a pirate attack on a Danish ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Russian navy said.

Pirates have caused havoc off the coast of Somalia, hijacking 33 ships this year.

The Russian patrol ship Neustrashimy and a British frigate, HMS Cumberland, rebuffed the pirates' attempts to seize the Danish ship Powerful, Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said. He based his information on what the crew of Neustrashimy told the Russian navy.

The British and Russians used helicopters to counter-attack the pirates, who had opened machine gun fire on Powerful and twice tried to seize it, Dygalo said.

The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, has become a treacherous stretch for ships, particularly along the Somali coast.

According to Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy attacks, there have been 84 attacks and 33 successful hijackings off Somalia's coast this year.

A dozen international ships are currently under the control of pirates, Choong said.