On Tuesday, the French warship FLOREAL, part of the EU Naval Operation Atalanta, captured two vessels carrying suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The warship used its helicopter to fire warning shots at the boats when they refused to stop, before launching its boarding party in sea boats to arrested the suspects and confiscate their equipment.

The footage of this incident will be available on the EU website shortly:

http://consilium.europa.eu/showPage.asp?id=1533&lang=EN

Earlier this week the MV BISCAGLIA and her crew were freed from pirate control and two further ships are awaiting release after ransoms were paid. This will bring the total number of hostages held to below 150.

The recent change in the weather has seen a marked increase in pirate activity and as a result a German Liquid Gas Tanker LONGCHAMP with its 13 man crew was regrettably hijacked by seven pirates early yesterday morning.

As many companies continue to enrol with MSCHOA, owners and operators are encouraged to also register their vessels’ movements on the site so a proper assessment can be made of the risks they face and appropriate protection measures taken.