This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

The crew of the Montecristo resorted to a traditional seafaring means of communication when their ship was hijacked by pirates. They wrote a message, placed it in a bottle, and tossed it into the sea through a porthole.

The bottle was retrieved by Nato warships who were nearby after responding to an earlier call for help from the Italian merchantman. The message inside, and another written on a sheet, was clear: it was safe to board.

It was the signal for Royal Marine commandos to launch an attempt to rescue the 23-man crew, who were being held by 11 suspected pirates, in full knowledge that they could do so without risking lives.

The Montecristo's crew - seven Italians, six Ukrainians and 10 Indians - had locked themselves inside an armoured area of the vessel when the pirates boarded the ship on Monday, according to Italian defence minister Ignazio La Russa. Safe from the pirates' threats, the crew continued to navigate the ship.

"The criminals managed to cut off all means of communication, but the 'prisoners' tossed a bottle with a message through a porthole explaining the situation," said La Russa.

Rubber boats with British marine commandos on board circled the Montecristo, while a helicopter hovered above. "The pirates surrendered right away, some throwing their weapons in the sea, and were arrested," La Russa said.

The commandos were from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Fort Victoria, which, with a US frigate, had headed for the Italian vessel after receiving the initial call for help.

"Due to the presence of the warships, 11 suspected pirates on board the pirated vessel surrendered without force," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement reflecting none of the drama.

It added: "A Royal Naval boarding team carried out a compliant boarding of the vessel and the suspected pirates are being detained."

The father of one of the crew, Antonio Raimondo, from Sardinia, said: "We are happy. We are celebrating the liberation," the news agency Ansa reported. The Montecristo had set off from Liverpool last month and was en route to Vietnam with a cargo of scrap iron.

It was attacked by pirates after it left the escort of a Japanese naval vessel and entered the Indian Ocean. According to the owners, the 56,000-tonne Italian bulk carrier was hijacked 620 miles off Somalia by pirates in a small boat.

Liam Fox, the defence secretary, paid tribute to the navy personnel involved. "Such was the show of strength displayed by RFA Fort Victoria, alongside a US navy frigate, that the operation was conducted without a shot being fired," he said.

Pirates are holding at least 10 ships and 251 hostages, according to Commander Harrie Harrison of the anti-piracy military coalition, European Union Naval Force.