In yet another dramatic Somali pirate attack, an MSC Cruises liner successfully warded off gun-toting bandits near the Seychelles Islands Saturday evening, with no reported injuries to passengers or crew.

Six pirates approached the MSC Melody in a small speedboat around 7:35 p.m. GMT, firing automatic weapons.

The ship was about 200 miles north of the islands’ capital city of Port Victoria, and about 500 miles east of Somalia.

The Italian liner, carrying about 1,500 passengers and crew, had a private Israeli security force onboard. Armed with pistols, the guards opened fire on the pirates that were attempting to climb up the side of the ship with a ladder. Security forces also began spraying the attackers with a fire hose.

The pirates eventually gave up and sailed away, but continued following and firing upon the ship for several more minutes.

A statement from MSC Cruises owner Gianluigi Aponte noted that ship captain Commander Ciro Pinto followed all required security protocols and guided the ship out of danger with evasive movements and the lights turned off. Only minor damage to the ship was reported, including shattered windows from the gunfire.

MSC is planning to re-route all its cruise ships away from the east coast of Africa.

According to MSC, a military vessel from the international security forces in the region is escorting the Melody to Aqaba, Jordan, the next destination on its scheduled itinerary.

The Melody had already altered its course in light of recent pirate activity around the Somali coast. The 22-day cruise was originally scheduled to sail from Durban, South Africa to Genoa, Italy via the Egyptian port of Safaga; the modified route skipped the Safaga stop and added 400 miles to its itinerary to maintain greater distance from the Somali coast. The MSC Rhapsody made a similar change of course in early March.

Although this was not the first pirate attack on a cruise liner, this marks the first exchange of fire between pirates and a non-military ship. It is also troubling that the attack took place so far off the coast of Africa, as increased activity in the Indian Ocean reflects bolder moves by Somali pirates.

By Sarika Chawla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related links: USA Today, The Australian, The Age (Australia), CNN, The Mercury (South Africa)

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• New: Interview With Rick Sasso, MSC Cruises President, on PGW Radio
• Pirates of the Indian Ocean: An Interview With Col. Jack Jacobs, Military Analyst
• Captain Rescued, Somali Pirates Threaten Revenge After Deaths
• Pirates of Somalia No Pirates of the Caribbean
• MS Nautica Cruise Ship Evades Somali Pirates
• Pirates Grow Bolder, Target Cruise Ships
• The White House Takes on the Pirates
• Somali Pirates Seize More Ships
• The Real-Life Pirate Hunters
• Peter’s Blog: Bangkok, Pirates and Sonic Blasters