(With extra pictures) The French EU NavFor Somalia Operation Atalanta flagship FS Siroco and Japanese assets have released the crew of a Dhow that was suspected to have been used as pirate mothership.
The operation took place on Saturday 18 January and resulted in the apprehension of five suspected pirates believed to be responsible for an attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden a day earlier.
Oil Tanker under Attack
The oil tanker issued a distress call to the UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) on the evening of Friday, 17 January, reporting to be under attack. According to the reports, the attack was repelled by a private armed security team embarked on board the oil tanker. The skiff then headed to a dhow which lingered nearby.
Locating the Dhow
The EU NavFor, in cooperation with other Counter Piracy Forces, reacted quickly. A Japanese Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a helicopter from the Japanese vessel JS Samidare, in associated support to the Combined Maritime Forces, initially located the dhow.
The EU NavFor flagship FS Siroco was then able to close distance to the dhow and launch their helicopter and boarding team.
Pirates Arrested
Upon nearing the dhow, the helicopter crew and boarding team observed that people on board the dhow were throwing equipment over board, deepening the suspicion that the dhow was indeed the reported pirate mother-ship.
Once the Siroco’s team boarded the dhow, five Somali suspect pirates surrendered and were separated from the dhow’s crew and transferred to FS Siroco for further investigation. As always, the EU Naval Force seeks, if possible, a legal finish with the prosecution of the suspected pirates.
The master’s initial statement supported the suspicion that his dhow has been pirated and his crew taken hostage several days ago off the coast of Somalia. He also stated that the suspect pirates were responsible for the attack on the oil tanker the day before.
Picture: A Japanese Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a helicopter from the Japanese vessel JS Samidare located the dhow. The EU NavFor flagship FS Siroco was then able to close distance to the dhow and launch their helicopter and boarding team (by EU NavFor).
The photo album below contains more pictures of the operation. Please click the pop-out link (the little squares at the bottom right) to view them in their proper dimensions.
