PIRATES armed with machineguns have attacked a cargo ship off the coast of Sierra Leone, plundering the captain’s safe and robbing the Ukrainian crew of their belongings, Danish national radio news reported. None of the 14-man crew was hurt in the night attack. Robberies are common in the West African country, where UN peacekeeping soldiers are trying to implement a 1999 peace deal to end a nine-year civil war. Torm Alexandra, time-chartered by Danish shipping line D/S Torm, was headed for Conakry in Guinea from Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown. – Reuters