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An Italian fishing boat was attacked in international waters by machine gun fire from the Libyan coastguard, the head of an Italian ship-owners group said on Tuesday, adding that the patrol boat had probably been donated by the Rome government.

Fabio Micalizzi, head of the Sicilian ship-owners federation, said the Orizzonte fishing boat was sailing some 94 miles north of the Libyan city of Misrata when the attack took place, damaging the vessel but causing no serious injuries.

Micalizzi told Reuters the gunfire seriously damaged the ship's wheel and the captain was suffering from shock.

"This unprecedented act of violence has deeply shaken the Sicilian maritime community and requires a decisive and immediate response from Italian and international institutions," the ship-owners federation said in a statement.

"Micalizzi reserves the right to sue the Libyan authorities and the crew members of the patrol boat, which appears to have been donated by Italy, for this very serious attack," the ship-owners federation statement said.

The Libyan authorities had no immediate comment.

A source at Italy's foreign ministry told Reuters the Libyans had attacked the grounds that the boat was fishing in their waters.

An Italian navy unit immediately intervened along with a helicopter to avoid the vessels being impounded, and it was already on its way back to Italy, the source said. 

(Reuters)