KUALA LUMPUR: Pirates boarded a Chinese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia but failed to hijack the vessel yesterday, thanks to quick action by a naval force patrolling the area, a maritime official said.

The ship, owned by China Communications Construction Co, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden at 12:43 pm (Beijing time). Thirty Chinese sailors were aboard the Zhenhua 4, which is registered in St Vincent.

The attack occurred in the same area where a Malaysian-owned tugboat and a Turkish vessel were seized on Tuesday, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.