Pirates not of the Caribbean

[tonker]

Well if the are real pirates, they will want missing limbs and eye patches anyway....

LiveLeak.com - Private security guards shoot Somali pirates

[Courtney Mil]

Excellent. That's the way to do it!!! But why 'warning shots'? Just waste them! :ok:

[NutLoose]

Awful lot of warning shots lol, don't think they knew what hit them.

[November4]

Bet this happens far more often than is reported (or filmed and uploaded). Pity the RN is so hide bound by the Human rights of the pirates...or rather the so called "innocent fishermen"

[VinRouge]

Looks loads more fun than getting blown up by IEDs in Afghanistan. And at least they are directly protecting corporate assets abroad.

Just a shame they didnt have Javelin to play with.

I am sure there is potential there for an Ipad game of "sink the skinny".

[D John]

Nicely done......

Could be a new cruise ship offering for mil and ex-mil, just sit in the sun on your deck chair with a beer and an M16.....

The steward comes every now and then..... "top up your drink sir?... more ammo sir?", "yes thank-you, two mags and another beer, just put it on my tab"!

At sea I'd prefer something 7.62 rather than 5.56 until they get close, but that might scare the pirates away.

cheers,

-John:ok:

[airborne_artist]

I think the weapon/s of choice need/s to have some power. GPMG backed up by .50 cal. Why let them get close when you can hit them hard at > 1000 metres?

[beardy]

Can one see the whites of their eyes at 1000yds? If not then where's the fun?

[glojo]

Is that a real attack? :hmm:

Lots of questions :O

[VinRouge]

I think the splashes in the water from the outgoing pretty much confirm its a real one. :E

[tonker]

Why else would you be there in the middle of the ocean without any fishing equipment but an AK47, and heading straight for a cargo ship?

[glojo]

Hi Vin
Don't get me wrong and I am simply asking questions but splashes in the water indicate live ammunition. The boat that approached that tanker contained how many people?

what boarding equipment can we see?

what weapons did the so called bad guys have?

Where did that small craft come from?

Why would they keep closing on the tanker when they were under fire and not fighting back?

We hear conversation on the bridge, can we hear any 'May day' call?

Could that be a radio controlled exercise?

I would be 'slightly' miffed with that security guard firing at that craft so close to the side of that tanker for a thousand and one reasons.

If it were then would the controllers of those craft wear the uniform of a commanding officer :ouch: (humour, not a question)

[mutt]

what boarding equipment can we see? A BBC show featuring Ross Kemp showed the method used by hijackers to board ships, they basically use a length of bamboo, so it would be extremely easy to hide it in a boat.

Mutt

[Pontius Navigator]

I wonder what the ship handling would be. Maintain course and let the pirate manoeuvre or down the throat? Down the throat and a quick helm over onto the opposite side to kick him with the stern. I know the pirate could probably dodge the bow and execute a quick 180 under the stern but it would be sporty.

[SunderlandMatt]

I think the security guys went easy on them!

A warning shot could have been delivered at a much larger range but this would have a) allowed the bad guys to get their own weapons ready if not already and 2) shown the bad guys that the ship was armed and to just forget it and move on to the next ship.

Warning shots here clearly moved quickly into lethal shots and that's fine. It's justifiable under one's right to self-defence. I'd like to think I'd have given them a few mags of rapid fire before they bounced off the hull though!

The security guys seemed pretty in control and relatively well practised. Well done them, I'm sure the Captain was chuffed. :ok:

[glojo]

Please folks do NOT think I am saying this is NOT a real attack, I am simply curious as to whether it might be an exercise as everything is just so weird.

The boat keeps heading toward the tanker even though it is under a determined attack from the on-board security staff. It collides with the tanker and some gallah still keeps shooting at the thing but at NO TIME does anyone on that tanker suggest they actually hit any of the occupants???

I have listened to that tape several times and I confess that my hearing is not very good but unlike others, I cannot hear a single crew person suggest they are receiving any incoming fire, let alone any specific reference to an AK47?

We can hear someone first authorising 'weapons free' and then warning fire, but at no time do I hear anyone broadcasting any message for assistance.

Pontious you are without doubt a highly experienced RAF officer but... :):):) Quick helm hard over and kick him with the stern! ;);) We are talking very large tanker with the manoeuvrability of a hovercraft in gale force winds. :ok:

Once we start citing Ross Kemp as an authority on Somali pirates then I fear we are living in la la land.

This may well be a real attack..... but I confess to being more than a trifle suspicious and please note I am NOT saying it is DEFINITELY a well executed exercise although no votes for the guard that kept shooting at that skiff when it was alongside.

[Pontius Navigator]

glojo, it looked more like a bulk carrier than a tanker. the first few seconds show the fore deck but no evidence of piping just steel coamings and what look like king posts and even a forklift.

[glojo]

Hi Pontious,
Thank you for taking my comments regarding your ship handling suggestions in the spirit they were meant and I most certainly do not disagree with your observations. There is just too little footage to make a positive identification, but they are still not greyhounds of the sea that can flick out their stern to give the skiff a quick punt!

Looking at the wake it looks like they are maintaining a straight course but again it is not clear but listening to the tape time and again it just sounds like an exercise. Right at the beginning The English speaking person in charge saying, 'I'll give you a weapons free when we are ready!' At no stage do we ever hear any reference to any type of incoming attack... The skiff maintains a course and hits the merchant ship, no cries of elation, no cries of 'That'll teach the muffa's to mess with us' type euphoria... From start to finish it is all one way traffic and the 'attacking' boats do not weave, do not turn about the INSTANT that first shot was fired at them.

Did you see any type of movement from that boat, anyone diving over the side? Any deviation of course when they were being fired at from a distance?

Why attack such a huge ship in daylight?

I think I have had my say and will wait for some clever forum member to shoot me down with a nice reference that will show the dead bodies but the bottom line to me is the fact that merchant ships are capable of defending themselves... Respect and well done.

[Pontius Navigator]

Intuitively one might expect the attackers to weave. A steady course when being engaged from a moving target is no more likely to be hit. At the end, when the rib is astern and being engaged it can be seen to break away to port.

The guys in the rib are not wearing any dayglo safety vests. There is a dayglo object portside aft; can't make it out but it appears both outboard of the cockpit and too large for an individual in a life jacket.

My comment about the ship manouevre was not a suggestion that the ship should have made such a manoeuvre but a question as to whether it could have made such a manouevre.

[Courtney Mil]

Intuitively one might expect the attackers to weave.

Most of the ships they've hit weren't defended. And most of them are just armed yobs. not that clever.

[glojo]

I was not going to make any further comment as we have alll had our say but I saw this:
http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii527/glojoh/pirate.jpg
Note the smooth covering at the bows, then midships a type of mast, then in the stern that item of day-glo!! I have yet to see a Somali pirate wearing a nice dayglo jacket but I guess there will always be a first time but where is the boarding party. The pepole firing those AK-47s

I'm sorry but I am more doubtful by the second. I have left the time frame on this scene so we can all have a study
http://s1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii527/glojoh/?action=view&current=pirate.jpg

[Pontius Navigator]

CM, I didn't make myself clear. I was not saying that they should have weaved but that to the uninitiated they would expect a weave. I was alluding to the more professional view that the shortest time path put you at risk for the least time and that the risk of using a non-weaving track was no greater when both target and shooter were moving like this.

[tonker]

Your in the middle of the ocean, in an area infested with pirates, driving headlong towards a cargo ship at full tilt:ugh:

And an orange lifejacket does not get you automatic RNLI membership, and immunity from foolhardy behaviour.

[Mach Two]

Tonker,

I'm not entirely sure I understand that. Sorry if I'm being dense. I think they do run straight at their target, it's the only way to run an intercept. Why not do that until they are actually fired at?

GloJo,

I have been watching your comments on this thread and you've got me thinking. Now that you mention it, the inconsisancies do support your premise. How many people do you think there are in those skiffs? I don't see many.

[glojo]

Hi Mach Two,
Difficult question to answer as at first I saw what I wanted to see and that was pirates getting a dose of their own medicine but then my natural instincts cut in and I started to both study the footage and also think about what I was watching.

When I first saw that footage I was sure I saw two or three souls aboard that first skiff, but as it is about to collide or ram that ship you get the clearest image and obviously if it was a remotely operated target, there would not be anyone aboard those 'targets' and that is what I now maintain. The dayglo coverings are possibly vulnerable parts that the operator might like to re-use or recover, however can I respectfully suggest that the small arms fire possibly knocked out the radio control ability of that boat?

When you look at that first skiff you can see the front half is covered over by what looks like a fibre glass deck but note I say 'looks like' and not 'is covered over'. When I thought I saw two or three souls aboard that vessel it was just two seconds away from the collision and that still frame. Note there are no bodies in the water and no signs of bodies laying in the boat, I can only assume I never saw what I thought I did :rolleyes: .

Look how high the sides of that ship are and you tell me how one or two pirates are going to climb up that ships side whilst it is travelling at that speed in the full knowledge they will be facing armed guards during their attempts at boarding that ship!!.

Yes I have boarded ships at sea and travelling at that sort of speed is going to be a 'challenge' and I cannot recall ever doing it at any speed unless the vessel was low in the water, however I would love to hear the thoughts of 500N and I will DEFINITELY bow to his expertise. I have simply NOT boarded a high sided ship at anything other than slow speeds (5knts would be a good guess)

What else is strange is listening to the Asian crew right at the beginning of this incident\attack\exercise. One man starts talking about taking a walk to look at the steering gear. This conversation starts getting very heated. We then hear a European saying something which I cannot make out but the senior person coordinating the security guards quite clearly states, "I'll give you a weapons free when we are ready!" As soon as that heated discussion stops then authorisation is given and everything kicks off

Now to me if you have an incoming attack from Somali pirates, the first thing you would be doing is making quite sure your radio officer is broadcasting a message as 'loudly' (humour) and as clearly as possible on the marine radio. (channel 16) You would be hearing that order rather than some silly discussion about going for a walk to check the steering gear. I have NO idea of the actual location of this gear or the accessibility but my guess would be that to get to the steering gear it would entail a walk along the upper deck to a hatch that would take you down into the very bowels of the ship. If there was an incoming armed attack, would you volunteer to go for a walk just to check some hydraulic rams located deep down inside the ship? The first part of the conversation was the person talking about going for a walk, 'To check the steering gear' To clarify what that is, it is the rams that work the rudder and that compartment is not a place that has a watchkeeper or is considered something requiring close attention UNLESS it has developed a fault. It would though be checked periodically to make sure there are no leaks be they hydraulic or any other type of liquid. The ship will in all probability be steered from the bridge. (Some older ships would have a separate wheelhouse, but nowhere near that steering gear))

I am asking questions and I will not be embarrassed if my assumptions are incorrect as pirates have been known to attack shipping during daylight hours. BUT every incident I have heard of or read about always seem to talk about those skiff type boats acting like a pack of hyena and standing off to see if the merchant vessel is vulnerable or an easy prey. To attack a high sided, fast moving vessel in daylight that has armed guards that are clearly very trigger happy makes no sense and I cannot see the logic, even if they are stoned out of their tiny brains.

Just my observations though

[mini]

I'm steaming away, minding my own business, a rib appears, closing in, in a known Hi Jack location, I've got "private security" on board, 3 okes with a GPMG...

Never saw anything, honest...

[NutLoose]

Yup, we loosed off a few rounds at a practise target float guv.

[glojo]

I have been searching for more information regarding that event as I would love to prove myself wrong .... (It's about time the pirates were taught that crime does not pay)

What I did find however was this footage of a completely different incident but it highlights what I am saying about procedures.. The first thing any sensible person is going to do is shout for help. The master of that ship has a duty to get assistance as quickly as possible and that is demonstrated on this clip (http://www.epl.ee/news/online/video-eesti-laevakaitsemeeskond-annab-piraatide-suunas-tuld.d?id=64166755). Click the second video.

Get on the radio as quickly as possible, that way the pirates know support is on the way, the mother ship will also be found plus all the attackers would be cleaned up. All we see on 'our' footage is one skiff being turned into a sieve, a second is shot at but we have no idea about where it is....

I am convinced the small craft at the stern of the ship is the 'dead' boat that has rammed the side of that ship, it has got caught up in the maelstrom around the stern of the ship and just got sucked along for a short distance.

[500N]

The ship is moving a lot faster than it looks in the film and if down at sea level and from a distance, it can be deceiving how fast they are moving.

As to why it hit the ship, the coxswain probably had that many things going on like ducking bullets, trying t keep the speed up, crossing the bow waves (which wouldn't be small on a ship that size), he probably just "lost it".

I think the boat being shot at at the rear of the ship is the same boat as the one at the beginning of the film. Once it hit the side of the ship, it would not take long (10 - 15 seconds at most) for it to be passed by and spat out the back.

As to boarding a ship of that size at that speed, well I reckon you would have to have whatever system you use down pat and that is if you had any decent system at all as opposed to throwing a rope / grappling hook and climbing.

[tonker]

The ship with the guards is the Amezaan. It had been approached twice by the skiff which contained men and weapons. On its second approach the guards opened fire injuring a pirate who later died.

A Spanish helicopter later found both skiffs and their mother ship a whaler. 7 men were detained one of which died from small calibre ammunition. Both skiffs had signs of being shot at, and had weapons and ammunition on board.

Care of Fox news Nairobi:D

[zedder]

The EUNAVFOR Maritime Security Centre website shows the incidents for Feb 2012. This clearly highlights the difference in outcome for vessels that are attacked that don't have a Private Armed Security Company presence!

http://www.eunavfor.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Monthly-Piracy-Incident-Summary-Feb-2012.pdf

[November4]

Was discussing this incident with my brother who is very high up in the Merchant Navy world. He said pretty much the same as the EUNAVFOR report shows. If you don't want to be pirated then have your own security on board. He said that piracy is down in the area due to a combination of better security on the ships and the EUNAVFOR.

What isn't being reported so much is the increased piracy off west Africa. There, though, the pirates are not so bothered about taking hostages as they are happy to have a ransom for the shop rather than crew.

[glojo]

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii527/glojoh/th_humblepie.jpg

Before submitting my first post I did a small amount of research and could not find any record of this event. On Sunday I went trawling through previous attacks but I must confess I did not go back to 2010 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/7511919/Guns-for-hire-kill-pirate-during-attempted-hijack-off-Somalia.html)!! Guilty as charged.

What really threw me on that first footage was the disregard to what we know as 'Rules of Engagement!' but as we all know, we learn from previous events and that ship (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/7511919/Guns-for-hire-kill-pirate-during-attempted-hijack-off-Somalia.html) has been attacked THREE times!!

Seven pirates armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades twice tried to board the Panamanian-flagged MV Almezaan 60 miles off the Somali coast.

Hopefully lessons have been learned since those early pirate attacks hence my comments about the lack of compliance with what I call Rules of Engagement but in the civilian world I guess they are 'Best Management Practices!' :eek:

If Attacked



Follow the ship’s pre-prepared contingency plan.
Activate the Emergency Communication Plan/Call in order of priority numbers displayed under essential contact information
Activate the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS)
If the Master has exercised his right to turn off the Automatic Identification System (AIS), this should be turned on once the ship comes under pirate attack.
Sound emergency alarm and make ‘Pirate Attack’ PA announcement in accordance with the ship’s emergency plan.
Make ‘Mayday’ call on VHF Ch 16 and backup Ch 08 (both are monitored by naval units). Send a distress message via the DSC (Digital Selective Calling) system and Inmarsat-C as applicable
Maximize ship speed. In the Gulf of Aden, evidence to date from failed attacks is that the pirates will give up if unable to board within 30 45 minutes. If you can buy time until the military forces can arrive, this often leads the pirates to abort their attack.
Prevent skiffs from closing by altering course and increasing speed where possible. Pirates have great difficulty boarding a ship that is:




Making way at over 15 knots.
Maneuvering - Consider increasing the pirates’ exposure to wind/waves and using bow wave and stern wash to restrict pirate craft coming alongside. Aggressive maneuvering, such as small zigzagging, should be attempted when skiffs are close to ships side (within 10-20 meters). Try to keep pirate skiffs in the positive pressure zones and out of the negative pressure zone. After skiffs have hauled off, vessel should straighten up and try to regain speed.



Activate fire pump defensive measures.
Muster all remaining crew in defined safe muster area/citadel
DO NOT STOP.

My thoughts, when altering course I would suggest an alteration in 5 - 10 degree increments as any high speed 'weaving' will slow a ship down by a significant amount.



Contrary to what is being suggested piracy is paying BIG TIME!!!

In January 2012, researchers examining aerial photographs of Somalia noticed a new structure in the remote pirate stronghold of Hobyo. According to their analysis, carried out at the London think tank Chatham House, the installation may be a modern communications centre and telecoms mast capable of receiving Automatic Identification System (AIS) data on ship locations as well as long-range radio broadcasts.
This type of advanced technology may come to characterise piracy over the next decade or so. Some have suggested that the modern age of piracy began in South-east Asia following the Second World War, when pirates began using cheap military surplus outboard engines. More recently the price of GPS, radar and satellite phones have plummeted, further expanding the illegal use of these invaluable command-and-control tools.
Whether advances like the Hobyo mast will allow pirates to regain the advantage in the dangerous waters around troubled countries is yet to be seen. Like pirates’ tactics, the situation is fluid and opaque, making it difficult for the industry and for governments to stay ahead.
Despite the slowdown in attacks over the past year, some estimates suggest that in the first month of 2012 attacks rose by as much at 140 per cent, perhaps marking the start of new wave of crime at sea.
According to one recent report, the cost of piracy in 2011 was around USD7 billion, 80 per cent of which was borne by ship owners. “Piracy”, says Mark Hankey, “is a costly business, and we are ending up, by default, with the privatisation of the world’s sea lines.”
This quote is from a large International security firm that specialises in ship security.

From what I am reading most ransoms are being paid although only after a great deal of negotiations $4.8m being the average pay-out and the cheeky devils count this money before handing over the hostages. Smaller ships that have been captured are used as mother ships and in a number of cases the crews have been forced to man these vessels when the pirates next put to sea!.

Totally agree about having armed guards but that in itself is not the answer..

There has been NO successful capture of a merchant ship that was travelling at 18knts or faster!! speed, speed and speed is the best defence but obviously there are any number of ships incapable of reaching 18knts.

Don't get me wrong... I am in FULL agreement with that action although the amount of lead I saw going into that skiff was amazing and to hear that there were people in it that MIGHT have survived, is mind boggling.

2.5 It is important that the latest information on the location of where
pirates are operating is used when planning routes through the
High Risk Area. It is also important that vessels are prepared
to alter course at short notice to avoid pirate activity when
information is provided by NAV WARNINGS and/or Naval/
Military forces. Weather can also constitute an obstacle to
pirates and can be considered a factor when planning a route
through the High Risk Area. It is recommended that the latest
advice/updates be obtained from MSCHOA, NATO Shipping
Centre, and the UKMTO on the extent and latest location of
pirate activity. (See contact details at Annex A).


2.6 It is strongly recommended that BMP is applied throughout the
High Risk Area.

Final thoughts,
We are fully aware of the villages where the pirates are based. We know the exact locations of the ships being detained, we know the names and as stated the locations of where the leaders are based... what is it going to take to get some firm action being taken to end this farcical situation where we see Navy's from most of the world's sea going nations being deployed off of that region?

Way back when we had a proper Navy for a few weeks I was in command of a launch that was responsible for security within the Aden harbour area, we most certainly did not 'faff' about with mamby pamby politically correct attitudes regarding the rights or welfare of those that wished us harm, yes I had very specific RoE but right was right and wrong was wrong... how many millions of pounds are being spent with warships operating with one or both hands tied behind their back, they detain so called pirates and then have to release them! Note the master of the Amezaan made NO complaint and those 'innocent' men had to be released!!

The ship was again attacked on 20 March 2010, while on its way to Mogadishu. The attack was repelled by a private security guard convoy, and one pirate was killed.[/URL] Six suspected pirates were captured by Navfor the same day, but released after the master and crew of the Almezaan refused to testify :\:O

Just one week in [URL="https://www.bimco.org/en/News/2012/03/20_IMB_Piracy_Report.aspx"]March 2012 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Almezaan#cite_note-5)and Not an extract from blooming 2010

[Pontius Navigator]

There is one problem with trying to out run a pirate at 18-24 kts. If thye have the speed and can get within RPG range many master will not press on.

[glojo]

I TOTALLY agree with you Pontious and it is so easy to be an arm chair warrior and sit back criticising those that risk theor lives just so that we can have foreign goods on our shelves.

MUCH respect to those brave merchant seamen that sail in those waters

11.03.2012:0 715 UTC: Posn: 13:09N - 057:56E, 210nm ENE of Socotra Island, Yemen, (Off Somalia).
Five pirates in a skiff doing 22 knots chased and fired upon a container ship underway at 21 knots. The pirates closed to the port quarter of the vessel and fired an RPG towards the bridge. The Master increased speed, enforced anti-piracy measures and the crew mustered in the safe area. After about 20 minutes of chasing the vessel, the pirates aborted the attack and moved away.

You have an excellent point but from experience I can honestly say that in any type of sea a skiff will have a very 'bumpy' ride at any type of speed and I fully understand the reasons why they will quickly give up on any persuit of a fast moving merchant vessel. If an incoming skiff is sighted at a distance of perhaps 8 miles (if you are lucky) then pedal to the metal, mouth to the microphone (radio) and a quick prayer should see you in with a chance.. Don't forget that to date there have been no successful attacks at speeds of 18knots or above.

To put an air theme into this thread I hear that France is now supplying an Atlantique2 in support of this mission and we have had a South African member talking about the state of their Air Force


SA's Gripen pilots likely to get more flying hours as piracy fight intensifies (http://neptunemaritimesecurity.posterous.com/sas-gripen-pilots-likely-to-get-more-flying-h)



The South African Air Force (SAAF) is hopeful that the pilots of its Gripen fighters will be granted significantly more flying hours during the financial year, which started on April 1.
SAAF director: force preparation Major-General Tsoku Khumalo indicated that the target was for 180 flying hours yearly, starting from 2012/13.
Speaking to South African journalists at Sweden's Ronneby Air Force Base (AFB) on Tuesday, he said the increase in flying hours was needed to maintain "currency in piloting your aircraft".
"You can't sacrifice the hours you need to maintain currency."
"It's our job to protect our sovereignty. We've got the capability, we've got the equipment and we've got the people," he affirmed, adding that a key target would be to deal with the Somali piracy threat off Africa’s east coast.
SAAF Gripens have already carried out antipiracy reconnaissance missions. The fighters can fly from their base, AFB Makhado, to the middle of the Mozambique channel and back, without having to refuel.
More generally, the SAAF wants to increase the number of youngsters it trains as pilots, for all "lines" (in air force jargon – fighter, transport and helicopter), every year. As some of the Gripen's systems are still undergoing operational test and evaluation, the number of pilots converted on to the new fighter will remain limited until this process is completed.
The SAAF's fighter unit, 2 squadron, is currently participating in a multinational exercise, dubbed Lion Effort, in Sweden.
Lion Effort involves Gripen fighters from the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as South Africa and Sweden. Thailand, the other operator of the Gripen, did not send any aircraft but did send six observers. The Czech Republic also contributed three of its indigenous L159 light attack fighters to the exercise.
"Our pilots are measuring up," assured Khumalo. "We're holding our own."
He said participants in the exercise were both learning from, and passing on lessons.

[Fareastdriver]

Shoot first and read the list of instructions in case of attack afterwards.

[glojo]

I guess this is indeed one option
Shoot first and read the list of instructions in case of attack afterwards. (http://newsclick.in/international/enrica-lexie-killing-indian-fishermen-and-somali-piracy)

[barnstormer1968]

At 1.02 is that a boarding ladder on the side of the vessel or just galvanised barriers on the side of the deck (or something similar).
I only ask as if it were a ladder then is would be a sensible point for the skiff to aim for.

[zedder]

The trend continued in March. 3 of 5 vessels that were attacked and that had no Private Armed Security on board ended up pirated:

http://www.eunavfor.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Monthly-Piracy-Incident-Summary-March-2012_inclu-all1.pdf

[Fareastdriver]

I feel sorry for the fishing vessel trying to fish 585 nm west of Mogadishu.

[November4]

Got to admire the nerve of the pirates when they attacked...

12 Jan 2012
Warship
45 NM SE Mogadishu
Safe


Would have been a bit embarrassing if they had captured that one.

[glojo]

Further to the above:

http://i.wp.pl/a/f/jpeg/28327/esps_patino_okret_wiki_600.jpeg

At first light on 12 January 2012, having just completed the escort of a World Food Programme ship carrying food-aid into Somalia and while operating close to the Somali port of Mogadishu, the EU NAVFOR Flagship, the ESPS PATINO, was approached by one skiff with a group of suspected pirates onboard.
The suspected pirates opened fire with light calibre weapons and tried to board the PATINO. The ship’s force-protection team returned fire in self-defense and the ship’s helicopter was launched.
The skiff broke off the attack and the men surrendered to the helicopter after throwing their weapons, ladder and fuel barrels overboard.

Suspected Pirates transferred to RHIB
Five of the six men who were in the skiff had received injuries, two of which required medical treatment onboard the ESPS PATINO.



Could these idiots have mistaken that vessel for a merchant ship and more to the point were the survivors prosecuted?

[500N]

I like the way they worded the statement.

"ship’s force-protection team returned fire in self-defense"

Sounds like PC mumbo jumbo to me.

I know we don't know the circumstances but a military ship acting in accordance with UN resolutions waits for pirates in a skiff to fire. What happened to assessing the threat before it got within range ?

.

[tonker]

The skiff broke off the attack and the men surrendered to the helicopter after throwing their weapons, ladder and fuel barrels overboard.

And are probably already walking England's green and pleasant land, at our expense.

[Roadster280]

I must be missing the point here. There are frigates and destroyers on patrol in the well known shipping lanes. One round of 4.5" would cost sod all and send the pirates to see Mr Davy Jones; toute-de-suite.

Why not repel the pirates with MG fire, notify the naval task force, track pirates on radar until within warship range and have at them with naval gunnery? Once the pirates have opened fire on a merchant vessel, they've nailed their colours to the mast. Navy helicopter positively IDs the miscreants' vessel, engage with main gun from a few km away, job done. Leave survivors to sharks & weather.

[500N]

I agree, but the world, especially the EU has become far too PC for blunt action to be taken - unless you are the US or Russians who couldn't give a XXXX about
what anyone says, especially the Europeans / EU as has been shown over the last few years.

Relate the pirate situation to Lebanon / Hostage taking - look at how the Russians dealt with it early on and how the rest of the world did.