EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

EU NAVFOR can confirm that on the morning of 26 February a ransom drop was successfully made for the release of the Singaporean flagged M/V PRAMONI that was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on the morning of 1 January 2010. The Singaporean Flagged M/V PRAMONI, a chemical tanker of 20,000 dead weight tonnes has been anchored off the pirate stronghold of Eyl.

At the time of the attack she was travelling eastbound with a destination of Kandla, India. EU NAVFOR can confirm that the ship has a crew of 24 persons (5 Chinese, 17 Indonesian, 1 Nigerian, 1 Vietnamese) and all crew members are safe. EU NAVFOR continues to monitor the situation.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EUNAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.