A Somali-owned ship Thursday escaped a pirate attack near Mogadishu but its Syrian captain was killed and a policeman was injured, officials and witnesses said.
   
The pirates attacked MV Barwaqo, carrying shipment from Dubai, near Mogadishu port late Thursday, and opened fire, killing the captain.
   
"Armed gangs attacked the ship as it was heading to the seaport but the police forces were called in ... there was a heavy exchange of gunfire in which the captain was killed and one policeman was wounded," Mohamed Salah, a police  officer at the port, told AFP.
   
A senior port official confirmed the incident, saying the attack occurred near the harbour.
   
"It was amazing, the attack took place very close to the seaport but our  police forces rushed to save (the ship)," he said.
   
Abduasis Husein, another port official, said the vessel was towed to port by tugboats as its engine was damaged in the gunbattle.
   
International navies have deployed dozens of warships around the Gulf of Aden over the past year, to try to curb attacks by pirates threatening the busy maritime trade route and off the coast of war-torn Somalia.
 

Below an attempted attack by pirates: