October 2010

On the morning of 30 October 2010, the Malta-flagged MV GO TRADER was reported under attack from one skiff approximately 280 nautical miles (520 kilometres) south east from Salalah, Oman.

MV POLAR

On 29 October, the EU NAVFOR Italian ship ITS LIBECCIO visited two Yemeni fishing dhows, while patrolling along the Somali coast.

On 28 October, EU NAVFOR welcomed Mr.

This week, the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship SPS INFANTA CRISTINA completed the escort of the Merchant Vessel VICTORIA, chartered by the World Food Program, until Bosaasso (Somalia).

On 21 October, EU NAVFOR signed a contract with the Seychelles Petroleum Company (SEYPEC), agreeing on the establishment of F44 helicopter fuel delivery facilities in Port Victoria (Seychelles), at the disposal of all military counter-piracy warships.

On 26 October 2010, late afternoon, the French-flagged Liquefied Petroleum Gas Carrier (LPGC) MAIDO was reported under attack from one skiff approximately 100 nautical miles south east from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. 

EU NAVFOR welcomes the fourth judgment, which was delivered on 22 September, in a Kenyan prosecution in connection with the interdiction of a pirate group by an EU NAVFOR warship.

In the early hours of 24 October, the Captain of the Cargo ship BELUGA FORTUNE reported his ship was under attack by pirates 750 nautical miles off the Somali coast. The Captain then reported the pirates were on board and that he was with his crew locked in the ships ‘citadel’, disa

On 22th October, the Commanding Officer of the EU NAVFOR Belgium frigate BNS LOUISE-MARIE awarded a Belgium national Commemorative Medal For Foreign Missions to Lieutenant Junior Grade Moussa-Barkat-Abdallah, from the Djiboutian Navy.

On the morning of 24 October, the MV YORK, a Singapore-flagged tanker, was confirmed pirated in the Somali Basin.

On 14 December 2010, France Force Headquarters will hand over the EU NAVFOR Force command to Spain.

With only five nations contributing to the mission three months from its beginning, the EU NAVFOR Operation has since then been supported by twenty-three different nations.

On 18 October, the EU NAVFOR Swedish warship HSwMS CARLSKRONA completed another grouped escort for both the World Food Program (WFP) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

In the early hours of 20 October, while conducting a patrol along the Somali coastline, the EU NAVFOR French Flagship FS DE GRASSE spotted and intercepted a pirate action group comprising of two skiffs and one whaler, thereby averting a future attack.

EU NAVFOR’s operational capabilities have been reinforced today with the arrival of the Belgium frigate BNS LOUISE-MARIE in the operational area.

On 19 October 2010, EU NAVFOR welcomed a delegation of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) to its Operational Headquarters (Northwood – UK) in order to provide them with a better understanding of the piracy threat in the Gulf of Aden and in the Somali Basin.

Yesterday, 17 October 2010, the EU NAVFOR Dutch warship HNLMS AMSTERDAM successfully achieved the escort of the MV CAPTAIN SAÏD, chartered by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

During the third port visit of the EU NAVFOR French Flagship FS DE GRASSE to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Philippe Coindreau, seized the opportunity to meet with national authorities and regional partners.

Yesterday, 17 October, the Panama-flagged MV VOC DAISY was released from Garacad from under pirate control.

This morning, EU NAVFOR received the confirmation that the South-Korean fishing vessel GOLDEN WAVE (formerly named KEUMMI 305) has been pirated off the Kenyan coast on Saturday 9 October 2010.

  This week, EU NAVFOR provided her support during a training course on Maritime Law Enforcement on counter-piracy organized by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in Djibouti for representatives of “Djibouti Code of Conduct” States.

On 14 October 2010, EU NAVFOR Operational Headquarters (Northwood, UK) welcomed maritime industry representatives to provide them with an update on the current piracy threat in the Horn of Africa.

Over a period of 15 days, successful piracy of three merchant vessels has been prevented through their use of Best Management Practices, proving the value of such self-protection measures.

On 10 October 2010, the crew of the EU NAVFOR Italian ship ITS LIBECCIO, visited the "Bee Hive Children's orphanage" during its port visit in Mombasa harbour (Kenya).

On the afternoon of 10 October, the owners of the Panama-flagged MV IZUMI reported that they had received an automatically released distress signal indicating that the vessel was likely to be under pirate attack.

The Taiwanese fishing vessel FENG GUO that had been reported by her owner as being pirated on 7 October 2010 is confirmed to be free from pirates this afternoon. The false report had been sent after the owner having been without contact with the ship for two days.

On 8 October 2010, the Taiwanese fishing vessel FENG GUO was confirmed pirated 250 nautical miles from Antisiranana, Madagascar. This is the most southerly vessel to be pirated since the operation began.

On 6 October, the EU NAVFOR Dutch support ship HNLMS AMSTERDAM gave assistance to a drifting vessel with 26 crewmembers on board.

On Monday 4 October, EU NAVFOR's Deputy Commander, Rear-Admiral Thomas Ernst, visited the World Food Programme (WFP) Headquarters in Rome, Italy, to discuss possible ways for EU NAVFOR to improve the assistance it provides to WFP vessels.

On the evening of October 3, the EU NAVFOR German frigate FGS KOELN disrupted a suspected pirate skiff which was involved in the chase of a merchant vessel, in the Gulf of Aden.

On 3 October, EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Philippe Coindreau, took the opportunity to visit the EU NAVFOR fast combat support ship HNLMS AMSTERDAM, during a replenishment at sea operation with the Flagship FS DE GRASSE, off the eastern coasts of Somalia.