On 29 January, Dutch warship HNLMS De Ruyter, part of NATO's counter-piracy operation Ocean Shield, freed the crew from merchant vessel New York Star after they had barricaded themselves into a “safe room,” (also known as a “citadel”) when their ship came under attack by pirates. As the pirates climbed on board, the master of the New York Star was able to put out a mayday call, which was picked up by an Australian maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), which was on counter-piracy patrol in the area.