Two French Yachtsmen Rescued in Pirate Waters, Twice
TUESDAY, August 12, while on counter piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, the flagship of EU NAVFOR Atalanta - Italian frigate Andrea Doria - assisted a French yacht with two crew in distress.
|
Two French yachtsmen rescued in an area affected by piracy
The two crew of French yacht had launched a distress call after engine failure.
|
The crew of a yacht had twice launched a distress call after engine failure. The first call was intercepted by a German maritime patrol aircraft, participating in the European naval force - EU NAVFOR. It was immediately relayed to the Force Commander, the Admiral Guido Rando aboard the frigate Andrea Doria.
As it was the closest warship, the Andrea Doria scrambled its helicopter and headed for the boat to give assistance.
On site, a team of engineers from the frigate joined the boat and after a few hours, repaired the inoperative engine.
Four days later, on August 16, again, a German maritime patrol aircraft received a distress call from the same boat. The yacht could no longer navigate and call to fuel in the nearest safe port.
The Spanish frigate, Navarra, which was heading to the same port, received orders to meet the boat to give assistance. The next morning, about 5 am, the frigate located the adrift boat.
After repairing the rudder and providing the necessary fuel, the Spanish frigate accompanied the boat until it reached the safety of the nearest port.
|
Assisting French Yachtsmen Photo: EUNAVFOR
|
Following the assistance given to this yacht, Admiral Rando said: "The two crew members of the sailboat were very lucky. They were in a perilous situation. Not only had their engine failed, but they sailed into more of an area where pirates have attacked small ships like this. Although the threat of attack has decreased, do not doubt that the threat remains. If we let our guard down, there's a good chance that piracy may return."
Threat assessment by the International Counter Piracy Naval Forces is and remains that all sailboats sailing alone, should stay out of the high risk area (HRA), or risk being beaten and held hostage for ransom.The yachts are highly vulnerable to pirate attacks.
Corlobe Editor Analysis:
The EU force did not release the identity of the boat. One can only regret the unconsciousness of these sailors, sailing in a dangerous area on a sailboat obviously poorly.
Original Source: Corlobe.tk [French language] Image via Corlobe.tk
Subscribe to our newsletter. Receive a weekly round-up of all piracy-related & maritime situational awareness news.
OCEANUSLive.org
Information, Security, Safety; Shared
Submitted by Team@oceanuslive.org