Hunt of the Sea Wolves

Bloomberg

An Italian frigate captured nine suspected pirates after foiling attacks on two vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the European Union’s anti-piracy fleet said on its Web site.

After picking up a distress signal today from a Greek-owned vessel under attack from rocket-propelled grenades, Italy’s Maestrale sent a helicopter to the scene, the EU’s Maritime Security Centre said. When it arrived, the pirates had already turned their attention to a Danish-owned vessel.

After warning shots from the helicopter forced the pirates’ skiff to stop, a boarding party from the Maestrale arrested the nine suspects. “They are at present being detained at the Maestrale for further investigation,” the EU mission said.

The EU’s Navfor anti-piracy mission consists of 12 vessels and conducts anti-piracy operations alongside boats from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a U.S.-led coalition. Somali pirates have seized at least 27 ships so far this year.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Pirate Hunters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.