French light surveillance frigate Nivose (F732), part of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) on anti-piracy operations off Somalia, intercepted a pirate mother ship on April 15, and arrested 11 Somali pirates.
Some of the interesting features of operation by Nivose are:
- On the evening of April 14, Liberia flagged 21,000 tonne MV Safmarine Asia was attacked by Somali pirates with small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenade
(RPG) from two skiffs that were operating in close company with a mother ship. - The frigate foiled the attack by chasing them away with her helicopter.
- She followed the pirate boats overnight and captured the pirates and their mother ship, 500 nautical miles east of Mombasa.
- The captured 33 foot mother ship was carrying 17 drums of fuel (each 200 litres capacity) and two assault skiffs.
- The frigate is now en route to Mombasa with the vessels in tow.
Here are some photographs from the French Defense Ministry website.
Frigate Nivose (F732)
Photograph of the captured skiff.
Photograph of the captured mother ship with fuel drums.
Read more from the French Defense Ministry (English translation).
Read more from EU NAV FOR, Somalia.
Posts in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:
China Develops Amphibian Bicycle
Indian Navy on East Coast Sailing Expedition
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