Xinhua
Thursday, November 22, 2012
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- European Union anti-piracy mission have arrested nine suspected Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia after warning of threat of piracy which still remains a threat despite attacks having declined off the Horn of Africa in the past year.
In a statement received by Xinhua on Thursday, the EU's warship, Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand, worked in close cooperation with Turkish warship TCG Gemlik of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF- 151) in arresting the suspects late on Wednesday some 420 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.
Rear Admiral Potts, who is the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, said counter piracy forces in the area were quickly alerted after Swedish's Maritime Patrol Aircraft located the suspicious skiff at sea 420 nautical miles east of Mogadishu as another patrol aircraft maintained visual coverage from the air.
"Once at the scene, TCG Gemlik sent a boarding team to search the suspect vessel, which had tried, unsuccessfully, to evade capture for over an hour," Potts said in a statement.
He said after gathering intelligence, the skiff was destroyed, thus preventing the suspect pirates from using it to attack ships in the future.
"I am delighted that through the combined efforts of counter- piracy forces in the region, once again, suspect pirates, who ventured out to sea in an attempt to hijack merchant ships and their crews in the Indian Ocean, have quickly been found and their vessel destroyed," Potts said.
"As I said in October, we knew, as the monsoon period ended that pirates would try their luck at sea and this is why we have constantly warned against complacency."
The EU counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia had warned in October of threat of piracy which it said still remains a threat despite attacks having declined off the Horn of Africa in the past year.
Potts warned yachting and leisure craft community to avoid transiting the High Risk Area -- the southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Western part of the Indian Ocean.
"We are currently witnessing a tactical, yet wholly reversible success in the reduction of pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa and we very much welcome the shipping community's efforts to protect merchant ships transiting the area with the implementation of self-protection measures to deter attacks," Potts said on Nov. 8.
Somali pirates were still holding some 10 foreign vessels for ransom with 160 crew members as hostages onboard as at Sept. 30 as the number of ships signaling attacks by Somali pirates has fallen to its lowest since 2009.
A report from the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said 21 kidnapped crew members are being held on land and more than 20 hostages have now been held for over 30 months.
"Once again, my message to the pirates is clear -- we are watching you and we plan to capture you if you put to sea. Equally, this is an indication that pirates still intend to get out to sea and all involved in countering piracy, whether they are the military or industry must remain vigilant and prepared."
Demanding millions of dollars in ransom for captured ships and their crews, Somali pirates had late last year intensified operations not just off their own coastline, but further afield in the Red Sea -- particularly during the monsoon season in the wider Indian Ocean.
Tankers carrying Middle East oil through the Suez Canal must pass first through the Gulf of Aden. According to maritime officials, about four percent of the world's daily oil supply is shipped through the gulf.
Before the capture of Kismayo by Kenyan soldiers, the Horn of Africa nation's coastline was considered one of the world's most dangerous stretches of water because of piracy.
Source: Xinhua