Turkish navy commandos participating in international anti-piracy patrols off the Gulf of Aden yesterday detained five pirates who attempted to hijack a Greek-owned, Panama-flagged commercial ship in the area, Turkish military officials said yesterday.

Turkish authorities said they dispatched a navy vessel, which fired warning shots, along with a commando unit by helicopter after the Greek vessel, the Theoforos, transmitted a distress signal while it was some 100 kilometers off the coast. The Greek vessel, which belongs to the Piraeus-based Good Faith shipping firm, was reportedly fired at by pirates in a speedboat. There were no reports of injuries among the crew members.

Another Greek vessel, the Delvina, was seized yesterday by pirates off Tanzania, port authority officials in Piraeus said. The Ukrainian and Filipino crew members were said to be safe.