French warship team destroys pirate boats
Loading...
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Sailors from a French warship captured 11 suspected pirates into custody off Somalia
wenty-eight suspected pirates were taken into custody by the European Union Naval Force after a handful of failed attacks on fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean. The mission said, a helicopter from the French warship FS Nivose then tracked the vessels and saw the suspects throwing things overboard. When a French team arrived at the scene, it found 11 suspected pirates and "pirate paraphernalia" in the skiffs: a rocket launcher, grappling hooks and several fuel barrels.
The forces destroyed the pirate ship and a skiff and took the suspected pirates into custody. The fate of the second skiff was not immediately known.Later, pirates tried to attack a Spanish fishing vessel. The boat alerted the EU Naval Force, and air and naval units intervened. Eleven suspected pirates were taken into custody and were on board the Nivose.
An increase in pirate attacks is likely over the next few weeks as the monsoon season is ending and the ocean is becoming calmer.