Press Releases

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 bulk carrier DE XIN HAI is heading northwest and is now 650 nautical miles off the East coast of Somalia.

Around noon local time, October 19th 2009 the Bulk Carrier DE XIN HAI from the Peoples Republic of China was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, 350 nautical miles North East of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the East coast of Somalia.

During the early morning of October 15 2009 a Singaporeflagged Container Ship KOTA WAJAR was hijacked in the Indean Ocean by Pirates some 300 nautical miles north of the Seychelles.

Today, a helicopter from the EU NAVFOR German warship BREMEN, identified suspected pirate craft in the Somali Basin. The suspect craft were made up of a mother skiff and two smaller skiffs, near the islands of Seychelles (0109S 5355E).

On Sunday 11 October the two suspected pirates taken into custody by EU NAVFOR Spanish warship CANARIAS were handed over to Spanish authorities.

On sunday 11 october the Ambassadors of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) of the European Union visited the European Union Naval Force under the Security and Defence Policy, the first Naval operation under ESDP.

Today two French fishing vessel in position approximately 160 nm North of Seychelles reported being under attack by pirate skiffs. The attacks were unsuccessful.

Early this morning, 7 Oct 2009, 5 pirates were captured as they tried to take control of a French replenishment ship, the SOMME, that is supporting the EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta.

On the morning of 3 Oct, whilst conducting a patrol in the Gulf of Aden, EU NAVFOR Belgian warship LOUISE-MARIE intercepted a distress call from a merchant vessel transiting in the Gulf of Aden.

The Turkish owned bulk carrier, MV HORIZON 1, was released on Monday, October 05.

Late in the evening of 3 October, two of the suspected pirates who gained control of the Spanish tuna fishing vessel ALAKRANA the day before, were arrested by the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship CANARIAS.