Eleven Pirates Convicted in the Seychelles
On October 2, 2013, eleven pirates were convicted in the Seychelles Supreme Court of committing acts of piracy and operating a pirate vessel from May 7-11, 2012. Their sentences ranged from 18 months to 16 years. The pirates had been apprehended by the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate, HNLMS Van Amstel, on May 11, 2012, after the warship’s Lynx helicopter sighted a suspicious fishing dhow towing two skiffs, 400 nautical miles off the Somali coast. When the warship’s boarding team approached the dhow…
Somalia: EU Navfor Force Commander Visits German Frigate FGs Niedersachsen
Commodore Peter Lenselink and members of his staff visited German frigate FGS Niedersachsen, which is currently part of the EU's counter piracy task force off the coast of Somalia. During his visit, Commodore Lenselink visited the different departments on board and met members of the ship's staff. The Force Commander was given a briefing on the capabilities of the Bremen Class frigate and the German Boarding Team carried out a helicopter fast-roping demonstration. Speaking during the visit, the Commanding Officer of FGS Niedersachsen, Commander Kurt Leonard said, "Over the years, The Netherlands and Germany have had close relations as neighbors and our navies have worked together on many operational deployments.
New Counter-Piracy Force Flagship on Station
The Dutch Landing Platform Dock 'HNLMS Johan de Witt' has joined the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta. For the next 4 months, Johan de Witt will be the EU Naval Force flagship, hosting the Force Commander, Commodore Peter Lenselink, and his multinational staff on board. HNLMS Johan de Witt is a Landing Platform Dock, 176.5 metres in length and 16,948 tonnes displacement. She can accommodate up to 600 persons and has many different assets, teams and capabilities on board…
