NAIROBI, Kenya — The Canadian Navy said today that one of its warships helped a U.S.-flagged container vessel evade pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Spokesman Michael McWhinnie did not give further details of that occurred this morning involving the warship HCMS Winnipeg.

He said the U.S.-flagged vessel was the Maersk Virginia, owned by Norfolk-based Maersk Line Limited. The company is owned by Danish container shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk.

Another U.S.-flagged ship owned by Maersk was attacked by pirates on April 8. Some of the 20-member crew of the Maersk Alabama hid in the engine room and took one pirate hostage before persuading the attackers to leave the boat with the ship's captain as hostage.

They released the pirate but their attackers did not release the captain. The five-day drama ended when one pirate surrendered and Navy SEALs shot dead the three remaining pirates after they pointed their guns at the captain.