NATO disrupts suspected pirate group in the Gulf of Aden
NATO Press Release
On 17 March, in the Gulf of Aden, the Turkish Navy Ship (TCG) Giresun, acting as part of NATO’s counter-piracy (Operation OCEAN SHIELD), successfully disrupted a group of pirates suspected of having been involved in the attack of a merchant vessel in the area.
Earlier that day, the NATO warship USS Arleigh Burke had received a distress call from MV Trans Catalonia, which stated that she had been attacked by a skiff with armed pirates on board. According to the distress call, the pirates opened fire but aborted their attack when the merchant vessel’s armed security team returned fire in self-defence.
USS Arleigh Burke and TCG Giresun were immediately sent to the area to intercept the pirate group. On its way to the skiff's last known position, TCG Giresun launched its helicopter, which quickly spotted a skiff and was able to identify 7 pirates on board and boarding equipment. As soon as the pirates noticed the helicopter, they stopped and raised their hands over their heads.
TCG Giresun then reached the scene and sent its boarding team to investigate the skiff. On completion of this successful disruption, the commander of the NATO counter-piracy task force, Admiral Sinan Tosun declared: “We are happy that NATO was able to prevent another act of piracy and to contribute to safer navigation in the Gulf of Aden”.
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