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The Amsterdam destroyed a pirate mother ship

Credit: Dutch Navy

(BRUSSELS2) The Hr. Ms Amsterdam - a Dutch supply ship taking part in Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta - destroyed a whaler (which could serve as a mother ship) belonging to a pirate group on 22 September.

The boat had been spotted after several aerial reconnaissances in the vicinity of a pirate camp on the Somali coast - at the same time as the pirate group tailed by the Spanish amphibious ship Galicia. Followed by the Amsterdam helicopter, it was then boarded by two fast boats - with Marine Commandos on board. They proceeded to search the whaler.

On board were 4 people and above all all the equipment of the perfect pirate and large quantities of fuel, enough to cover more than 2000 km! Questioned aboard the Amsterdam, the 4 suspects got off with a warning. They were then released and dropped off on the Somali coast.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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