THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The Dutch government says a team of marines stationed on a merchant ship has fought off a pirate attack in the Arabian Sea.

The Defense Ministry says the marines opened fire early Tuesday on pirates armed with weapons, including a rocket propelled grenade, as the crew of the ship Flintstone took shelter in a safe room. The vessel is used to lay rocks around undersea pipelines.

Marines fired tracer bullets at the six pirates as they sped toward the Flintstone, but they responded by aiming the rocket-propelled grenade at the ship.

To prevent the grenade being fired, the marines opened fire on the pirates. The Defense Ministry said it "could not rule out casualties among the pirates."

The Flintstone was heading from Malta to Singapore.

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