Nine suspects arrested by the Maestrale (Atalanta). A US ship attacked
(BRUSSELS2) The Italian frigate of the European anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, ITS Maestrale arrested, Friday morning, 9 suspected pirates. They had successively attacked two merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden. First of all, in the wee hours of the morning (it's quite a ritual), around 6:10 a.m. UT (universal time), it was the "Maria K" - a Greek cargo ship, flying the flag of St Vincent and the Grenadines -, which suffered a full-scale pirate attack, aboard a blue skiff.
With gunshots and use - it seems - of an RPG rocket launcher. Responding to the distress signal, the Italian frigate ITS Maestrale, which was not far away (about 20 km), immediately dispatched its helicopter to the area. The Canadian ship HMCS Winnipeg, which was a little further (100 km) doing the same. This scared off the pursuers.
US ship targeted
The pirates then headed for another ship, the "Maersk Virginia", Danish-owned but flying the American flag (as confirmed by the Lloyd's list). It is one of 4 ships chartered by the US Army for the transport of equipment, and has 19 Americans on board. After a warning shot fired, the Maestrale dispatched her visiting party who arrested and disarmed the pirates. The Winnipeg, which is part of the NATO force, has no mandate to bring the pirates to justice. These are being held on board the Maestrale for further investigation, EUNAVFOR HQ announced, pending their destination.
It is the second Maersk ship in the US maritime security program attacked in the space of a few weeks. THE "Maersk Alabama" had been attacked at the beginning of April. Captain Richard Phillips had been released after an intervention by the US army which had caused the death of 3 pirates and the capture of a fourth, currently awaiting trial (at the court of Manhattan) in the United States.
A new military ship in the "trajectory" of the pirates.
If I count correctly, also, it is in a few weeks, the fifth military ship or of a military force cruising in the Gulf to be targeted by pirates, voluntarily or involuntarily: 1) the German tanker Spessart (Atalanta) on March 29; 2) the transport vessel Maersk Alabama (US Navy) April 8; 3) the British tanker Wave Knight (CMF) on April 18; 4) the French frigate Nivose (Atalanta) on May 3; the transport ship Maersk Virginia (US Navy) on May 22. This is starting to do a lot!
(Update May 25) The pirates could be landed in Djibouti to be presented by video-conference before the judge of the Rome court in the presence of a lawyer and an interpreter, announces the print Sunday. They risk up to 20 years in prison.
For see images taken by CBC aboard the Canadian ship
(summary) Friday morning suspected pirates attacked two different merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden. A distress call was picked up by the Italian EU NAVFOR warship MAESTRALE that immediately sent a helicopter to the area. The pirates however turned their interest towards another merchant vessel being in the area, a Danish owned ship. By a boarding team thereafter sent out from the MAESTRALE, after arriving at the scene, the nine pirates were captured. They are at present being detained at the MAESTRALE for further investigation.
(NGV)
