Somalia:EU naval force sinks pirate skiffs

Laaska News  June 14,2011
NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) — EU Naval Force said its warship opened fire on two attack skiffs, sinking them in the process in the southern Somali Basin on Friday.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, EU Naval Force Somalia spokesman Paddy O’Kennedy said the disruption of the pirate activity took place after German warship FGS Niedersachsen detected a suspected Pirate Action Group (PAG) whilst conducting a routine patrol in the Southern Somali Basin

The PAG, which is suspected of carrying out a number of attacks on merchant vessels in the area, consisted of a fishing dhow and two attack skiffs. Small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG)s were also seen on board.

As the Dhow was considered to be a real threat to shipping in the area, O’Kennedy said, the German warship decided to disrupt the vessel but fears for the safety of the hostages on board prevented the Niedersachsen from taking direct action against the vessel. “Instead, to remove the Dhow’s ability to launch further attacks, the warship opened fire on the 2 attack skiffs sinking them in the process. Without attack skiffs, it is highly unlikely that the suspected pirates could successfully board a vessel,” he said.

Having lost its skiffs, O’Kennedy said, the Dhow changed course and made its way back toward Somalia.

“This disruption has undoubtedly hampered pirate action and avoided highly probable attacks on merchant shipping and vulnerable vessels in the area,” he said.

Somali pirates have hijacked hundreds of ships in recent days, taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom.

Ships are patrolling the shipping lanes near Somalia in an effort to reduce hijackings, but the anti-piracy force has warned that attacks are likely to continue.

Most hijackings usually end without casualties when a ransom has been paid. This, however, often takes many months.

The Horn of Africa nation has been without a functioning government since 1991, and remains one of the world’s most violent and lawless countries.

Combined Task Force 150, a naval alliance dominated by the United States and based in the Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti, is patrolling an area within the Gulf of Aden to help protect ships from pirates.

In its most successful anti-piracy operation on March 12, the Navy immobilized a pirate ship and arrested 61 Somali pirates who had been stalking merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea for more than three months.

Thirteen crew members taken hostage by the pirates were also freed in the operation executed by two warships 1,111 km off India’ s west coast.

Xinhua.
Laaska News.
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