OTTAWA - A CANADIAN warship on Sunday thwarted a pirate attack on a merchant vessel in the Arabian Sea, the military said in a statement.

HMCS Winnipeg was deployed in the Nato led counter-piracy mission Operation Allied Protector, escorting ships in the region, when it spotted 'several small skiffs' nearing the Motor Vessel Pacific Opal.

The Pacific Opal radioed for help.

A navy helicopter was immediately dispatched and put itself between the Pacific Opal and the pirate skiffs, forcing them to withdraw, said the warship's commander. -- AFP