On the early morning of October 20th 2009 EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Bremen stopped 3 skiffs in the Indian Ocean, 450 nautical miles East of Mogadishu and 300 nautical miles North-west of the Seychelles.
The EU NAVFOR ship Bremen, on sighting the two attack skiffs and one mother skiff, filled with fuel barrels and supplies, ordered them to stop. The skiffs tried to flee and Bremen fired warning shots across their bows after which two of the skiffs stopped. The third skiff was stopped with warning shots from the helicopter. Boarding teams were sent from the Bremen to the skiffs and during the time it took to get onboard the skiffs, the suspected pirates threw weapons and pirate equipment overboard.
There were 10 persons on board the skiffs and after questioning, and all remaining pirate related paraphernalia was seized, they were allowed to proceed.
This is the second time in two weeks that EU NAVFOR ship Bremen has found three skiffs with suspected pirates operating in these waters. In the same period other pirate skiffs and equipment were seized by the Seychellois Coast Guard in cooperation with the EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft based in the Seychelles, the EU NAVFOR Spanish frigate Canarias and the French Replenishment ship, Somme.
Bremen takes part in the EU NAVFOR Somalia - Operation ATALANTA. The main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.
The EU NAVFOR ship Bremen, on sighting the two attack skiffs and one mother skiff, filled with fuel barrels and supplies, ordered them to stop. The skiffs tried to flee and Bremen fired warning shots across their bows after which two of the skiffs stopped. The third skiff was stopped with warning shots from the helicopter. Boarding teams were sent from the Bremen to the skiffs and during the time it took to get onboard the skiffs, the suspected pirates threw weapons and pirate equipment overboard.
There were 10 persons on board the skiffs and after questioning, and all remaining pirate related paraphernalia was seized, they were allowed to proceed.
This is the second time in two weeks that EU NAVFOR ship Bremen has found three skiffs with suspected pirates operating in these waters. In the same period other pirate skiffs and equipment were seized by the Seychellois Coast Guard in cooperation with the EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft based in the Seychelles, the EU NAVFOR Spanish frigate Canarias and the French Replenishment ship, Somme.
Bremen takes part in the EU NAVFOR Somalia - Operation ATALANTA. The main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.