London, Jan 14 -- A press report, dated today, states: Bulk carrier Turicum (26449 gt, built 1995) managed to beat off a pirate attack in the Arabian Sea last week, the Swiss Federal Office for National Economic Supply revealed on Monday (Jan 11). The vessel was five nautical miles outside the zone covered by the Atalanta international task force set up to combat Somali pirates when it was approached last Wednesday (Jan 6), an official said. The ship was harassed for about seven hours, as pirates in three speed boats manoeuvred in an attempt to board. None of the 20 crew members was hurt during the incident. According to the official, Turicum was heavily laden with timber, which made it an ideal target.