The Nivose intercepts 22 pirates. A “Royale” ship attacked (maj3)

(BRUSSELS2) A French frigate participating in the European anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta intercepted and neutralized, on Friday March 5, successively, two pirate groups, in the southern Indian Ocean, between Seychelles and Kenya, announced the HQ Northwood European Union and the General Staff.

The pirates who operated from a mother ship and 2 skiffs had earlier on Thursday attacked a French vessel, the Beautemps-Beaupré hydro-oceanographic vessel of the French Navy, 180 miles east of Mogadishu ( according to the French Navy) (*). The usual warnings (radio, audio and visual warning) having had no effect, the onboard protection team had to fire warning shots so that the pirates who were preparing to board with mobile ladders clear off and join their mother ship. The ship gave the alert to the forces present in the area. A maritime patrol aircraft, based in the Seychelles, had spotted and followed them. The head of the area force, the Italian Rear Admiral Gumiero then decided to intervene. It was the French frigate, the Nivose, which was in charge of the approach.

In the early morning of Friday, the Nivose therefore spotted the skiffs 350 miles from the Somali coast (about 2 South, 47 East), and launched its Panther helicopter and an RHIB with an intervention team. The suspects did not wait for their arrival: they began to throw overboard anything that could be proof of their crimes (ladders, weapons, etc.). A load shedding observed by the French sailors who were approaching at high speed. On arrival, on the spot, they were able to seize the skiffs which still contained a whole set of piracy paraphernalia, such as a rocket launcher (not very useful for fishing!), grappling hooks and several barrels of gasoline. The mother ship and one of the pirate skiffs were
destroyed. And the 11 pirates on board apprehended were transferred to the Nivôse.

It has been several days since between Seychelles and Kenya, the pirates returned, apparently with several mother ships and skiffs. Half a dozen pirate skiffs had been spotted by the multinational forces and the alert given to ships cruising in the area. A spanish fishing boat, the Albacan, was attacked in similar conditions on Thursday morning. And two others, including the tuna boat Intertuna II and the auxiliary vessel theArtxanda Atunsa, this Friday morning. A third, theIntertuna III, was able to flee. It took 30 minutes of firefights for the Pirates to clinch, according to the Spaniards. A P3 Orion aircraft also intervened, launching smoke bombs. Of the French tuna boats were also attacked.

(updates 18 p.m. / 19 p.m.) It was during these last attacks that the Nivose carried out the second operation of the day. On the orders of the Atalanta command, he therefore deported 90 nautical miles to the southeast. And the same process as in the morning repeated itself. Helicopter, RHIB approach and intervention. " Two skiffs and a mother ship were apprehended with 11 suspects on board, a mother ship and a single skiff were destroyed”, said the General Staff of the armies.

The Nivose has 22 suspects on board. The destination of the pirates is not yet known. There are several hypotheses. In the first case, a French boat was involved and a French judge could be seized. But there is no flagrante delicto. So it will be difficult to bring the suspects to justice. And even if very strong presumptions weigh on this group, in particular with the aerial views, there is no formal proof. In the second, the Seychellois authorities could be seized, first and foremost. It's all about evidence. It is moreover for this reason that each time, a skiff was kept intact by the sailors of the Nivose, in order to be able to put, if necessary, the interested parties in the water along the Somali coast.

(*) Le Beautemps-Beaupré intervened in July 2009, at the request of the General Staff of the armed forces, in the plane crash of the Airbus A310 of Yemenia Airways off the coast of the Comoros.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)