Suspected Pirates Apprehended by EU NAVFOR
EU Naval Force Warship BNS Louise Marie Once Again Apprehends Suspect Pirates at Sea. Just 12 days after EU Naval Force warship BNS Louise Marie apprehended five suspect pirates at sea off the Somali Coast, the Belgium frigate has once again located a suspect skiff - this time with three men on board. The warship, which is operating as part of the European Union’s counter-piracy mission - Operation Atalanta, has maintained a constant sea watch during the past weeks in the waters off the Horn of Africa to help protect vessels from pirate attack.
Somali Pirates Sleep Not
EU Naval Force Belgian Frigate 'BNS Louise-Marie' apprehends five suspected pirates off Somali coast. Directed to the scene by ship's helicopter, BNS Louise-Marie issued verbal warnings to the skiff whose crew quickly raised their hands. The boarding party was deployed to apprehend the five suspected pirates on board the skiff, which was equipped with a ladder and a boarding hook, and it eventually taken on board the frigate. The five suspected pirates are being held on board the ship for further investigation and taking of evidence in order to fully assess the possibility of prosecution.
Pirates Attack 2 Ships in Indian Ocean
On the early morning of October 22nd 2009, 400 nautical miles east of Mombasa, Kenya, pirates attempted to hijack MV Jolly Rosso. Almost at the same time, MV Al Khaliq, a Panama flagged bulk carrier reported being under attack 180 nautical miles west of the Seychelles. MV Jolly Rosso, an Italian flagged Ro-Ro Cargo ship (200m and 31000 tons) was attacked by two small skiffs. The pirates opened fire with automatic fire and also fired 3 Rocket Propelled grenades at the ship. The ship took appropriate evasive action, managed to evade the attack and is proceeding on her voyage. There were no casualties. Belgium EU NAVFOR warship BNS Louise Marie was ordered immediately to close and neutralize the pirate attack position in cooperation with NATOs USS Donald Cook of CTF 508.
EU NAVFOR Boards Suspected Pirate Skiff
On the morning of 3 Oct, whilst conducting a patrol in the Gulf of Aden, EU NAVFOR Belgian warship Louise-Marie intercepted a distress call from a merchant vessel transiting in the Gulf of Aden. The merchant vessel reported a skiff, a small boat regularly used by pirates, approaching to 300 meters. The helicopter of EUNAVFOR Belgian Warship Louise-Marie was immediately launched to investigate and it arrived at the scene, the skiff took off at speed from the merchant vessel. Due to the suspicious behavior of the skiff the EUNAVFOR Belgian warship Louise-Marie was ordered to board the skiff. The skiff, took off at great speed and refused to stop when ordered to do so by Louise-Marie.
Gjøa Hull Safely Through Gulf of Aden
The hull of the North Sea Gjøa platform is on its way to Norway from the Samsung shipyard in South Korea. At the weekend an EU naval force provided a military escort as the hull passed through the notorious Gulf of Aden. The result of 1.7 million hours worked in South Korea, the Gjøa platform hull is now on its way to Stord via the Suez Canal. The long voyage to Stord is estimated to take 40-45 days. At the weekend the hull was transported through the Gulf of Aden, where shipping has recently been subject to attacks by Somali pirates who hijack vessels.
Mighty Servant Escorted through Gulf of Aden
Between the 13th and the 14th of September, the Dockwise semi-submersible, heavy-marine transport vessel, Mighty Servant 1, was safely escorted by EUNAVFOR warships through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden. Dockwise is the world leader in heavy-ocean transport and installation, operating the largest fleet of 20 specialized vessels, which are able to transport inconceivably large and heavy cargoes, some weighing up to 76,000 metric tons. The Mighty Servant 1 is currently transporting the Gjøa Hull from Korea to Norway. The EUNAVFOR Belgian warship Louise-Marie, participating in the European Operation Atalanta…
