Thursday, November 13, 2008
advertisements
Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- British Royal Navy commandos gave chase to suspected pirates off the coast of Yemen, killing two of them in an ensuing gunfight.The HMS Cumberland was on a routine patrol in the Gulf of Aden on Nov. 11 when it spotted a Yemeni registered fishing boat, or dhow, positively identified in a hijacking attempt on a Danish cargo ship, the MV Powerful, earlier in the day, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense said in a statement late yesterday.
After ``non forcible methods'' to stop the dhow failed, the Royal Navy launched small assault craft to encircle the vessel, the MoD said. The pirates opened fire and the Navy fired back in self defense, according to the statement.
Two foreign nationals, believed to be Somali, were shot and killed, the MoD said. A Yemeni was found injured and died later. He received emergency treatment from Cumberland's doctor, the MoD said, though it wasn't clear whether his injuries were due to the firefight or to a previous incident, it added.
Pirate attacks increased fivefold in the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen, in the first nine months of this year, as ransom payments spurred raiders to step up their activities, according to the International Maritime Bureau. At least 60 boats have been attacked and more than 12 vessels and 259 crew members remain hostage.
The European Union this week dispatched an anti-piracy force to join NATO and at least three other countries, including Russia, that have sent naval vessels to the region.
Pirates Surrender
After the gun battle, members of the British frigate boarded the wooden dhow, whose crew ``subsequently surrendered and a compliant boarding followed,'' according to the MoD. The last time the Royal Navy was in an armed confrontation was when Iran seized 15 U.K. sailors and Marines inspecting merchant ships in Iraqi waters in March 2007.
The boarding of the dhow was conducted ``in accordance with U.K. rules of engagement,'' the MoD said, which allows the Navy to intervene when suspected pirates are identified. As with all shooting incidents, ``a post-shooting incident investigation is currently being conducted, it added.
The Russian Navy said a helicopter from its own frigate, Neustrashimy, helped rescue the Danish vessel though an MoD spokesman said it didn't play a role in the shoot out.
Cumberland, a Plymouth-based Type 22 frigate with anti- surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons systems, is part of the NATO maritime force. About 11 percent of the world's seaborne petroleum, on its way to the Suez Canal or regional refineries, passes through the Gulf of Aden.
SOURCE: Bloomberg, Thursday, November 13, 2008