( CNN ) -- A Dutch-operated container ship outran pirates off the coast of Tanzania this weekend , an official with the International Maritime Bureau said Sunday . French soldiers , who have joined British , Indian , Russian and American patrols off Somalia , during an exercise . The incident took place `` very far out to sea , '' showing that Somali-based pirates are extending their reach further and further , Noel Choong of the IMB 's Piracy Reporting Center told CNN . `` Earlier attacks were on ships off the coast of Somalia , then off the coast of Kenya , and now this was 450 nautical miles off Dar es Salaam , '' he said , tracing the southward expansion of the pirates ' area of operations . The ship , which Choong declined to name , came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades , starting a fire on board , he said . The crew was able to put out the fire and escape by increasing speed . The ship and crew are now out of danger , he said , following the incident at 11:42 GMT Saturday . Piracy has become increasingly common in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean this year . So far , pirates have attacked almost 100 vessels off Somalia 's coast and successfully hijacked nearly 40 , according to the center . Watch how NATO is combating piracy » . Those hijacked vessels include an enormous oil tanker , a chemical tanker , and a ship laden with Soviet-era arms including tanks . The pirates normally hold the ships for ransom . A luxury cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 passengers and crew successfully outran pirates off the coast of Yemen last weekend . The IMB has tracked at least 11 incidents of actual or attempted piracy near the Tanzanian coast this year . A multinational fleet , including vessels from the U.S. , NATO member states , Russia and India , has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters near the Gulf of Aden , which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea . Around 20,000 oil tankers , freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year . Watch anti-piracy vessels patrol the region . » . In a recent interview provided to CNN , a pirate leader claimed attacks on shipping would continue as long as life in Somalia remained desperate . `` The pirates are living between life and death , '' said the pirate leader , identified by only one name , Boyah . `` Who can stop them ? Americans and British all put together can not do anything . ''
Piracy has become increasingly common in the Gulf of Aden , Indian Ocean . Experts have tracked 11-plus incidents of actual or attempted piracy near Tanzania . Around 20,000 oil tankers , freighters and merchant vessels use the route annually . A multinational fleet has been patrolling the Indian Ocean and nearby waters .