British and US forces invaded a hijacked Italian cargo ship in the Indian Ocean yesterday, freeing the 23-man crew and capturing all 11 Somali pirates.
The foreign ministry welcomed the release, which it said was carried out by forces from two naval vessels, one from the United States and one from Britain.
Italian news agency Ansa said they were special forces.
The foreign ministry said the crew of the 55675 deadweight tonnage bulk carrier Montecristo had taken refugees inside an armoured shelter on the ship when it was hijacked on Monday and had continued to control its movements, bringing it closer to an area where anti-piracy forces were patrolling.
The move into an armoured shelter appeared part of new measures agreed by seafaring nations to combat Somali piracy, which costs the world economy billions of dollars a year.
The ship's owners said the crew, from Italy, India and Ukraine had trained in anti-piracy drills.
Somali pirates normally use rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, with no heavier armaments that would penetrate armour plating.
The Italian foreign ministry said the US and Britain had operated under the orders of Italian Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi, commander of the Nato Ocean Shield anti-piracy task force.
Earlier, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said Italy would deploy a special naval force on merchant vessels to protect them from Somali gunmen.
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