Sailors in the Philippines got old school in their efforts to drive off pirates attacking their ship
SIBAGO ISLAND, Philippines — They got medieval on their asses.
The crew of a cargo ship drove off a gang of pirates trying to board their vessel by pouring a mixture of boiling oil and water on them as they came up alongside, authorities said.
The attackers, armed with high-powered weapons, motored towards the MV Kudos 1 aboard three small boats just off Sibago Island in the southern Philippines on Friday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
As the smaller vessels pulled alongside the ocean-going cargo ship and tried to board, the quick-thinking dumped a scalding hot mixture of oil and water on the approaching pirates, Captain Chris Paul Maligmat told authorities.
The pirates then opened fire on the ship before aborting the attempted hijacking and getting away before the authorities arrived. One of the 27 crew members aboard the Kudos was injured by flying glass, the coast guard said.
Officials believe the attackers are members of the Islamic militant group, Abu Sayyaf, who are active in the region and have attempted similar hijackings of cargo ships in the past.
The Kudos was carrying a cargo of steel bars on its way to Manila.
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