EU NAVFOR Disrupts Suspect Pirate Action Group’s Supply Boat

On 7 October EU NAVFOR warship FGS KOELN successfully disrupted a suspect Pirate Action Group’s (PAG) supply boat, a whaler, operating in the Somali Basin about 200 nautical miles East of Tanzania.

The whaler had been located previously by a Norwegian Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) under control of NATO Task Force 508, Operation Ocean Shield, which is also engaged in counter piracy operations.

After an attempted piracy attack on a merchant ship FGS KOELN searched and was assisted by a MPRA. On 7 October the German naval warship detected a whaler with a crew of four persons. Photos taken clearly showed that it was the same whaler which had earlier been photographed with a skiff, a pirate attack boat, in tow.

FGS KOELN conducted a boarding of the whaler and pirate paraphernalia was discovered. The four suspected pirates on board were transferred to the German frigate and whaler sunk. The persons were subsequently landed to Somalia.

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Source: EU NAVFOR, October 10, 2011.