A Yemeni dhow, serving as a mother ship, released

(B2) The Spanish frigate "Reina Sofia" - which is taking part in the Eunavfor Atalanta operation - freed a mother ship in the Arabian Sea on April 14. An operation carried out with the help of helicopters from the BPC projection and command boat Diksmuide (which participates in the "Jeanne d'Arc" officer cadet training mission). Two aircraft - a French Awacs and an Australian P3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft - also took part in the operation by carrying out tracking and surveillance.

The Navy special operations unit that docked the Yemeni dhow found 20 people on board. After verification, 4 were sailors - who had been taken hostage with their dhow at the end of March - and 16 others were pirates. They also seized small arms, grenade launcher ammunition. Which is a clear indication that these are not just fishermen.

But neither the captain, nor the owner, nor the crew of the sailors have any intention of filing a complaint. The dhow thus resumed the route of Al-Mukalla, in the south-east of Yemen. While the pirates were released near the Somali coast.