Press Releases

This morning, 23 of March, the Malta flagged Turkish owned (Garanti Finansal Kiralama) cargo ship MV FRIGIA, deadweight 35,000 tonnes, was reported hijacked in the Indian Ocean.

On 19th March the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship NAVARRA was despatched by the Force HQ (ITS ETNA) to assist an Iranian dhow that had sent out a distress call.

It has been a busy week for the EU NAVFOR frigate HNLMS TROMP during Operations in the Somali Basin.

While EU NAVFOR Warship FGS EMDEN was proceeding to the last known position of a pirate attack  reported by the Spanish fishing vessel ALBATUN 2, on the 18th of March, her helicopter found one whaler and two attack skiffs with twelve persons onboard.

On 18 of March at 11.00, the Deputy commander EU NAVFOR Rear Admiral Bartolome Bauza ended a very successful visit to the Seychelles.

Early on the evening of Wednesday 17 March, the Italian Naval Ship SCIROCCO (attached to NATO coalition anti piracy forces) who had been monitoring a hijacked dhow, witnessed pirates leaving the hijacked Iranian dhow SAAD 1 in small boats, known as skiffs.

On the afternoon of Wednesday 17th March EU NAVFOR hosted a visit by two Shadow Ministers from the UK House of Commons.

This morning, 17 March, saw the culmination of highly successful EU NAVFOR pirate disruption activities by the EU NAVFOR French warship NIVOSE against Pirate Action Groups (PAG) operating in the Somali basin, approximately 350 nautical miles off the Somali Coast.

Early this morning, 17 March, two small skiffs made a fast approach on the EU NAVFOR Dutch HNLMS TROMP with, what appeared, to be a pirate attack.

The MV Theresa VIII, a Virgin Islands owned, Kiribati Flagged, chemical tanker with a crew of 28 and deadweight of 22, 294 tonnes,  has been released by pirates on 16 March 2010.

On 12th March, after receiving a report from MV E.R. LUBECK (Liberian Flag, German owner), that pirates in 2 skiffs had tried to hijack her, COMEUNAVFOR initiated a surge operation to intercept and disrupt the PAG.

At 11.00 on the 13 of March, the next Flagship of EU NAVFOR Somalia - Operation Atalanta, the Swedish Warship HMS CARLSKRONA, departed from Karlskrona in the south of Sweden.