Saturday, April 18, 2009
In the first attack, pirates hijacked the Belgian-flagged Pompei in the Indian Ocean, a few hundred miles (kilometers) north of the Seychelles islands, said Portuguese Lt. Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, who is traveling with the NATO fleet patrolling the region.
Belgium reported the ship issued two warnings early Saturday morning that it was under attack on its way to the Seychelles. It had 10 crew: two Belgians, one Dutch, three Filipinos and four Croatians.
Hours after the first attack, pirates further north in the Gulf of Aden attacked a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, which Fernandes said issued a distress call shortly after dawn when it came under attack with small arms and rockets.
NATO forces in the area responded to the Handytankers Magic's call and followed fleeing pirates to a Yemeni-flagged fishing dhow that had been sized Sunday, Fernandes said.
He said pirates were using the Yemeni vessel as a "mother ship," a boat that allows the pirates' tiny skiffs to operate far off the Somali coast.
Dutch commandos then freed 20 fishermen from the dhow. Their nationalities were not known. Dutch forces also briefly detained seven pirates and seized seven Kalashnikov rifles and one rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somali pirates attacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, but NATO forces chased them down and freed 20 Yemeni fisherman the pirates were holding on another hijacked boat.
A second ship was also reported to be under attack by pirates in the Indian Ocean, further southeast near the Seychelles islands.
The latest violence underscores the dangers in the seas off the Horn of Africa nation. Pirates from anarchic, clan-ruled Somalia have attacked more than 80 boats this year and still hold 15 cargo ships and over 280 crew members hostage.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Handytankers Magic issued a distress call shortly after dawn when pirates attacked it with small arms and rockets in the Gulf of Aden, said Portuguese Lt.-Capt. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, who is traveling with the NATO fleet patrolling the region.
A Dutch frigate from the NATO force spotted the pirates fleeing "on a small white skiff, which tried to evade and proceed toward a Yemeni-flagged fishing dhow" that had been sized by the pirates Sunday, Fernandes said.
He said pirates were using the Yemeni vessel as a "mother ship," a boat that allows the pirates' tiny skiffs to operate far off the Somali coast.
The Dutch ship intercepted the pirate skiff and its forces then boarded the Yemeni vessel, freeing 20 Yemeni fishermen. They also detained seven pirates and seized seven Kalashnikov rifles and one rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
Belgium, meanwhile, said a Belgian ship may also have been attacked by pirates off the east African coast. It said the ship, the Pompei, gave two warnings early Saturday morning that it was under attack on its way to the Seychelles. Authorities have not been able to contact the ship since.
A Nairobi-based diplomat confirmed that incident, saying it took place about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of the Seychelles. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
An international flotilla including warships from the United States and the European Union has been trying to fight piracy in the Horn of Africa, particularly the Gulf of Aden — a vital short cut between Europe and Asia that is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. But pirates attacks continue unabated.
AccuWeather.com says weather in the region is likely to favor the pirates for the next several weeks. Very small waves and light winds make it easier for the pirates to operate the small speedboats they use to attack ships. Unrestricted visibility at day will help lookouts on vessels watching for attacks, but little or no moonlight works for the brigands, the weather service said.
Fernandes said NATO forces would eventually release the seven pirates who attacked the Handytankers Magic. "Due to Dutch internal law, under the circumstances they were intercepted, we will have to let them go," he said, without elaborating.
Pirates plucked from the sea by navy warships could be tried anywhere from Mombasa to New York, Paris to Rotterdam — but most are simply set free to wreak havoc again because of legal issues.
The United States, the European Union and Britain all have signed agreements with Somalia's southern neighbor, Kenya, clearing the way for a slew of court cases in the southern port city of Mombasa. And the most prominent recent case — a scrawny Somali teenage pirate who stormed the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama this month and was later arrested by the U.S. Navy — will be tried in New York.
French soldiers take pirates who have attacked French citizens to Paris; pirates who have attacked other nations are hauled to Kenya, such as the 11 seized Wednesday when the French navy found them stalking a Lebanese-owned ship. India took 24 suspects to Yemen, since half were from there. The Dutch took five suspects to Rotterdam, where they probably will be tried next month under a 17th-century law against "sea robbery."
Among the difficulties facing prosecutors is assembling witnesses scattered across the globe and finding translators. Many countries are wary of hauling in pirates for trial for fear of being saddled with them after they serve their prison terms.
Kenya is the most popular destination for suspected pirates. But diplomats privately fear it could take years to prosecute pirates there because of a huge backlog of all sorts of cases in the country's courts.
Britain, the U.S., Germany and France have brought suspects to Kenya, which convicted 10 pirates arrested by U.S. sailors last year. Each is serving a sentence of seven years — the maximum.
A small town in Vermont, meanwhile, celebrated the return of the unassuming shipping captain lauded for helping his crew survive a piracy attack off Somalia.
Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, arrived Friday at his farmhouse in Underhill with his wife, Andrea, to find their home festooned with ribbons and "Welcome Home" balloons, the road full of flag-waving, cheering friends and neighbors.
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Associated Press writers contributing to this report include Michelle Faul and Malkhadir M. Muhumed in Nairobi, Larry Neumeister in New York, Jennifer Barchfield in Paris, Mike Corder from The Hague, Netherlands, Devlin Barrett in Washington and John Curran in Underhill, Vermont.
(This version CORRECTS rank of NATO spokesman and CLARIFIES nationalities on Yemeni dhow unknown. )