China has sent three warships to escort a Chinese cargo ship that had been attacked earlier by pirates in the Arabian Sea near Oman, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center (CMSRC) said Sunday.

Twenty-one crew members, all Chinese nationals, have now been accounted for aboard the Taishankou.

The center said the crew hid in a safety compartment when the pirates boarded the ship. It did not mention any injuries among crew members.

The center received a call for help from the Taishankou at 4:40 PM (Beijing Time) Saturday. Chinese warships assigned to escort duties in the Gulf of Aden rendezvoused with the Taishankou at 8:44 AM Sunday.

Additionally, the CMSRC advised vessels to pay more attention to safety since the area reported a recent increase in pirate attacks.

This followed another Chinese ship, the Lecong, being attacked by pirates in the northern Indian Ocean Thursday. One of the 26 crew members aboard the Lecong was injured during a battle with the pirates.

The Lecong is now sailing toward Oman under the escort of a Chinese warship, according to a report in Sunday's People's Liberation Army Daily.

The injured crew member was reported to have suffered a wound and infection, though his medical condition was reported as stable.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2010)