The crew of a very large crude carrier (VL-CC) was forced to abandon ship near theYemeni port of Aden on Wednesday after pi-rates — assumed to be from Somalia — fireda rocket-propelled grenade into the vessel,setting it on fire.The pirates withdrew while the 26-strongFilipino crew of the Liberian-flagged Bril-lante Virtuoso, which was traveling east-bound from Suez through the Gulf of Aden,was rescued by the US guided missile cruiserUSS Philippine Sea. The US vessel is part ofthe Combined Maritime Forces, a 25-nationmaritime coalition that operates maritime se-curity task forces in the Gulf of Aden, RedSea, Somali Basin, Arabian Sea and ArabianGulf. The Brillante Virtuoso was attackedabout 20 miles offshore Aden.
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