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Basque fishermen free a merchant ship from pirate attack

The Erroxape (photo credit: Deia)

In an Indian Ocean where pirates have a field day, marine solidarity plays a role. We are November 18 in the evening. The VM Northern Value, a large freighter usually carrying hazardous materials and flying the flag of Antigua and Barbados, is attacked by a group of two pirate skiffs north of Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles. It is about 400 miles southeast of Mogadishu (according to EUNAVFOR's anti-piracy HQ), 500 miles from the Somali coast and 240 miles from Mahé (according to other sources). The pirates are very close, only 200 meters from the boat and its occupants ready to board. The captain begins diversionary maneuvers, increasing the power of the machines up to 21 knots. The crew, not necessary for the maneuvers, was ordered to take shelter in the secure room. But what is interesting - and does not appear in the official annals of EUNAVFOR - is the intervention of Basque fishermen from the Erroxape.

According to our Basque colleague, Deia, when the sailors of the Erroxape hear the freighter's emergency call on channel 16, they head at high speed to the scene of the attack. When it comes into view, it is minus one. The pirates are preparing to attack the freighter. The security guards on board the tuna boat opened fire. After a quick exchange of fire, the attackers break the front and go back where they came from, in search of other prey. It is perhaps the same group that then attacked the Seychelles fishing boat, the Faith (1).

Marine solidarity played a role. It must be said that the captain of the Erroxape knows what a hacker attack is. Just a few days ago (November 9), he fell victim to it, 360 miles from the Seychelles. And it's not the only one, the fishermen of Bermeo are seeing all the colors these days: the Demiku on November 6 (2), the Elai Alai on October 31 (3), the tuna boats are currently under pressure around the Seychelles.

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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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