EU NAVFOR saves 10 Somali lives after 5 days drifting in the Gulf of Aden

Sep 03, 2009 - 11:21
On the night of the 1/2 of September, EU NAVFOR Netherlands warship HNLMS EVERTSEN saved the lives of 10 persons on board a skiff. The unfortunate Somalis spent 5 days at sea with a broken engine and had run out of food and water.

Late on Thursday evening the officer of the watch on the bridge of HNLMS EVERTSEN detected a small skiff drifting in the Gulf of Aden, some 100 nautical miles south of Al Mukhalla. To investigate HNLMS EVERTSEN launched 2 RHIBS with their boarding party and an interpreter.

The boarding party discovered that the skiff had been drifting for five days because both outboard engines were broken. The skiff was trying to reach the Yemeni coast.

HNLMS EVERTSEN provided water, food and medical care by the ship’s doctor. Technicians managed to repair one of the engines upon which the skiff was able to continue her voyage.

The EU NAVFOR Netherlands warship HNLMS EVERTSEN is patrolling the waters off Somalia to protect vessels chartered by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) which supply food aid to Somalia, to protect other vulnerable shipping and disrupt and suppress acts of piracy.

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