Press Releases

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.

The MV  Lübeck, previously of the China Shipping Container Lines, and now under German ownership, evaded pirate attack in the Somali Basin some  450 nautical miles NE of the Seychelles in the late hours of 11th, stretching into the early hours of 12 March.

EU NAVFOR units operating in the Somali Basin, between the Seychelles and the Somali coast, have discovered more suspected pirate activity.

Vice Admiral Betrand Aubriot Commander in Chief of the French Navy, visited the EU NAVFOR OHQ on Thursday 11 March to acquaint himself with the nerve centre of Operation Atalanta.

On Monday 8th March, the Swedish Coast guard Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) conducted its first formal mission for EU NAVFOR’s anti piracy operation – Atalanta.

On the evening of 9 March the President, His Excellency Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and his delegation were greeted by Rear Admiral Peter Hudson CBE, Operational Commander of EU NAVFOR – Operation ATALANTA.

The chemical tanker Marshall Island flagged UBT Ocean hijacked on Friday, is now reported in the vicinity off the pirate stronghold east of Haradere.

The Kenyan flagged fishing vessel SAKOBA is reported hijacked 400 NM east of Dar Es Salam.

Early this morning an EU NAVFOR Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft from Djibout patrolling the Somali Basin received a distress call from Spanish F/V INTERTUNA 2 reporting that she was under attack by 4 skiffs.

As EU NAVFOR reported in a previous press release, several pirate attack groups are operating in the Southern Indian Ocean between Seychelles and Kenya.

Over the weekend of 5 – 7 March, EU NAVFOR units have been involved in concerted operations to interdict and disrupt pirate action groups before they had the opportunity to pirate vessels in the Indian Ocean.

EU NAVFOR can confirm that early this morning a Thailand flagged fishing vessel (Thai Union 3) was released by pirates from the port of Haradeere after the payment of a ransom.