Navy overtakes pirates to help N. Korea ship

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- The U.S. Navy says it overtook a suspected Somali pirate skiff that tried to attack a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden.

A Navy statement issued Sunday says a security team aboard the merchant vessel Napht Al Yemen 1 repelled the Jan. 20 pirate attack without U.S. help.

The USS Porter stopped and boarded the pirate skiff later that day.

The commercial ship is Yemeni owned but sails under a North Korean flag.

The incident marked a rare example of the U.S. military aiding North Korea, a reclusive rogue nation.

Piracy is among the fastest ways to make money in Somalia, a nation plagued by war and no functioning government.

Somali pirates seized 47 vessels last year. They currently hold about 200 crew members hostage.