Pirate attack on Norwegian ship foiled by NATO forces

From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Somalia

Other stories from Somalia

• 3 December 2009: At least fifteen killed after suicide bombing in Somali hotel
• 1 December 2009: Somali pirates seize Greek-owned tanker
• 19 November 2009: Somali pirates attack US-flagged ship, vessel evades capture
• 18 November 2009: European Union to train Somali security forces
• 12 November 2009: Judge known for jailing pirates shot dead in Bossaso, Somalia

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Location of Somalia

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According to a spokesman for NATO, an attempted hijacking of a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates has been thwarted by NATO forces.

The MV Front Ardennes came under attack by pirates in a small skiff at about 6:00 PM on Saturday. Helicopters and a warship were dispatched to rescue the vessel, and the pirates were apprehended seven hours after the initial hijacking. Officials said that pirates tried to flee in the dark, but were caught by a Canadian vessel.

Seven of the pirate gunmen were temporarily detained, but were later released. NATO spokesman Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Santos Fernandes stated that since there was no Canadian law that could have prosecuted the pirates, they had to be released.

Piracy is rife off the eastern coast of Africa; on Saturday, Somali pirates seized a Belgian ship, the Pompei, with its ten crew members, as it was headed south for the Seychelles islands. Over sixty ships, in total have been hijacked by pirates since the start of last year. Currently, pirates are thought to be holding about three hundred crew members from seventeen ships.

Related news

• "Belgian ship hijacked off Horn of Africa by Somali pirates". Wikinews, April 18, 2009

Sources

• "NATO Stops Pirate Attack On Norwegian Ship". VOA News, April 19, 2009
• "New pirate attack thwarted in Gulf of Aden". CNN, April 19, 2009
  

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