Apprehended Pirates to Face Trial in Netherlands; Captive Crew Freed
Source: NATO/Op Ocean Shield
After a three day hunt by EU and NATO counter piracy forces, HNLMS Rotterdam, in close cooperation with EU unit FGS Sachsen, has successfully disrupted a pirated dhow. [Video included]
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NATO/EU Forces Disrupt Pirate Dhow; Free Captive Crew
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This end game took place in the coastal waters of Somalia. The crew has been freed and is in good condition. The suspected pirates will be transported to HNLMS Rotterdam and will be detained awaiting further decisions on the follow-on process.
The search for the suspected pirates started five days ago, when Bosaaso port authorities reported a possible hijacking of a dhow. Two days later, the EU Naval Force unit Lafayette located the dhow. A visit showed that the suspected pirates had transferred to another vessel, the Bourhan Nour. That dhow was located another day later by another EU Naval Force unit, FGS Sachsen.
It became clear the suspected pirates were bound for Somalia, apparently ready to give up their plans. Commodore Ben Bekkering, Commander of NATO’s counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield explains what action was taken; “To us it seemed highly unlikely that the pirates would want to return to Bosaaso. The authorities there make no secret of their intentions to eradicate piracy. However, to the east of Bosaaso two hijacked ships are still held by the pirates, who seem to be present in the nearby villages as well. We expected the pirates to go there, possibly asking help from their colleagues. We therefore decided to station Rotterdam off the coast, deploying her landing craft in a number of locations, effectively blocking any retreat from or support of the dhow. As expected, the dhow entered the trap. It was then up to Rotterdam.”
“For the pirates it must have been a strange site. Not just Rotterdam and FGS Sachsen from the EU Naval Force Somalia (EUNAVFOR) following closely, but also a helicopter and few landing craft ahead making the coast almost impossible to approach,” explains Captain Huub Hulsker, Commanding Officer of HNLMS Rotterdam. “There was not really anywhere for them to go. Obviously, the main thought is always for the safety of my crew and that of the crew of the dhow. But the situation was clear and some strict orders and two warning shots later, the suspected pirates surrendered. The boarding team was on board and in control of the vessel within the next 20 minutes. A grateful dhow crew, an impressive first action of my whole team early in my deployment and six suspected pirates detained on board, awaiting further decisions - this is a result that counts.” [See the capture of the dhow on video HERE (Dutch language)]
“It is clear that the pirates are experiencing increasing pressure”, says Bekkering. “If they make it to the open sea, they find it increasingly difficult to stay undetected and find opportunities to attack merchant vessels. That can be credited to a broad international effort and the effective coordination between many participants. In this case, NATO and EU worked closely together. The fact that Rotterdam could execute the last step had everything to do with the team effort that preceded it.”
NATO is working alongside EUNAVFOR, Combined Maritime Forces and individual nations to fight piracy. By joining forces, counter piracy efforts are more effective and can achieve more than any one ship, navy, organisation or country working alone.
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