Yesterday evening, Operation ATALANTA handed over the 6 alleged pirates to Seychelles under the framework of the legal agreement that European Union has with Seychelles.
The 6 suspected pirates, allegedly from Somalia, were involved in the piracy attack to the Marshall Islands-flagged Merchant Vessel CHRYSTAL ARCTIC on the 10 of May.
Rota, 15 May 2024 – Operation ATALANTA confirms the handing over of the 6 alleged pirates who carried out the piracy attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged Merchant Vessel CHRYSTAL ARCTIC to Seychelles authorities.
Prior to the delivery, a commission composed of the Minister of Internal Affairs, a representative of the National Information Sharing Coordination Centre and members of the Seychellois Police Department together with three representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), went on board the ATALANTA frigate. The European delegation to Mauritius also assisted in the coordination with the Seychelles authorities.
During the meeting, they were briefed on the circumstances of the case, which led to the alleged pirates being handed over to the appropriate Seychelles authorities, being now in custody and awaiting trial.
Legal Finish
Operation ATALANTA has legal agreements with different nations in the Area of Operations, one of them being Seychelles, which allows for the trial of suspected pirates arrested by warships joining the operation. This is the core of the Legal Finish that ATALANTA has, which guarantees the entire process within piracy events from deter, arrest, detention, and prosecution in accordance with international law.
ATALANTA remains committed to supporting the country in the prosecution of the case until it goes to trial. Since its inception in 2008, EUNAVFOR ATALANTA has transferred 177 suspected pirates to the competent authorities, of which 145 have been convicted.
