New pirate attack foiled off Somalia
(B2) The Spanish Frigate Galicia thwarted, on Saturday (April 22), a new attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia, this time against a tanker, the MT Costina, flying the flag of Sierra Leone.
It was late on Saturday evening when the flagship of the European anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, the Galicia, on patrol near the eastern coast of Somalia, received a distress call from the captain of the merchant ship saying that his ship was attacked by a group of pirates. The ship was then very close to the Somali coast, about 5,7 miles away (on position 05:42 North and 048:53 East).
A chase that lasted a good two hours
According to maritime sources, there were six armed men aboard a skiff. The pirates approached very close to the ship, not hesitating to shoot the tanker with a Kalashnikov. The chase lasted a good two hours. Six armed people in a skiff gave chase and fired at a tanker underway. During the exchange, un crew member was reported injured.
Helicopter and Spanish ship to the rescue
No pirate in sight
Upon arrival at the scene, the ESPS Galicia helicopter carried out a full aerial search. After confirming that the skiff was no longer in the area, Galicia's special operations team boarded the MT Costina to reassure the captain and his crew. An inspection of the upper deck confirmed that the ship's structure did indeed have a number of bullet holes, but the assessment conducted concluded that the MT Costina could continue to its next port of call.
(NGV)
