Recently a pirate, who was trying to hijack a UAE-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, was shot dead by private security guards on board the vessel.

This is the first time ever when private contractors, which are being used a lot these days by shipping companies to safeguard their vessels in pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa, have shot dead a hijacker.

Early Tuesday, the MV Almezaan was attacked by three pirate boats, which then received back the fire from the "armed private vessel protection detachment" on board the ship.

Cmdr John Harbour, a spokesman for Navfor said further, "In a very short space of time the Navarra was on the scene and they had rounded up the pirates. There was evidence of a firefight and the skiffs were riddled with bullet holes."

The ESPS Navarra detained the six remaining pirates, who destroyed the mother ship. It was specified by Navfor that the pirate who passed away had "small-calibre gunshot wounds".

It is being hoped by Cmdr Habour that those who have been caught will be rightly punished.

About the Almezaan, though it is registered in Panama, it is owned by Dubai-based Biyat International. This happens to be the third time when it has been attacked by pirates. It was in November 2009 when the initial accident took place.

The ship was going towards Mogadishu on Tuesday when it was attacked about 100km south of Haradere, near the coast.