On 19th February the EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Emden was tasked to investigate a dhow and a skiff acting strangely in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).
It was noticed that the dhow was “dead in the water” and had not moved for some time. An investigation team from Emden boarded the dhow and confirmed that it had been abandoned by the crew who had taken off in the fishing skiff. The engine on the dhow was unserviceable and it was decided to take it in tow and out of international waters as a safety precaution to other ships in the area.
The EU Force Headquarters onboard the Italian warship ITS ETNA, contacted the owner of the dhow and arranged to return it on the evening of the 20th February. The dhow was towed towards Yemeni territorial waters near the town of Ash Shihr and handed over to a grateful owner.
EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EUNAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.
It was noticed that the dhow was “dead in the water” and had not moved for some time. An investigation team from Emden boarded the dhow and confirmed that it had been abandoned by the crew who had taken off in the fishing skiff. The engine on the dhow was unserviceable and it was decided to take it in tow and out of international waters as a safety precaution to other ships in the area.
The EU Force Headquarters onboard the Italian warship ITS ETNA, contacted the owner of the dhow and arranged to return it on the evening of the 20th February. The dhow was towed towards Yemeni territorial waters near the town of Ash Shihr and handed over to a grateful owner.
EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EUNAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.