11.   Yusuf denied that pirates had attacked the Somali-owned vessel last Friday and attributed its sinking to what he described as technical problems.

12.   Carranza said pirates usually attacked Chinese-flagged merchant ships, particularly those loaded with consumer items like cigarettes and liquor.

13.   The passengers feared being attacked by pirates which roam the South China Sea near the Philippine coast, and cheered when they saw land, he added.