Press Releases

On the early morning of November 1st 2009 shots were fired at an EU NAVFOR warship HNOMS Fridjof Nansen, 12 nautical miles east of Caluula, a North Eastern Somali coastal village. The area is known by the naval forces for possible illegal activity including piracy.

The previously reported sighting of a yacht by the helicopter of the EU NAVFOR Spanish ship Canarias has been confirmed as the missing British yacht the Lynn Rival. EU NAVFOR is cooperating with UK ships in the area and the British MOD and FCO have been made aware of the sighting.

Early this morning a Thailand flagged fishing vessel (Thai Union 3) was under attack by two skiffs in the Position about 200 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 650 miles off the Somali coast.

In the afternoon of October 27th 2009, 350 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia a French Fishing Vessel was attacked by pirates in two attack skiffs. The pirates opened fire on the Fishing Vessel.

Late afternoon, Friday October 23 EU NAVFOR Netherlands warship HNLMS Evertsen rescued 43 persons adrift in the Gulf of Aden.

The Hijacked Bulk Carrier the DE XIN HAI is confirmed to have arrived off the coast of Somalia and is now in the vicinity of Hobyo. It is not yet known if the pirates have contacted the owners and made their demands known.

On the early morning of October 22nd 2009, 400 nautical miles east of Mombasa, Kenya, pirates attempted to hijack MV Jolly Rosso. Almost at the same time, MV Al Khaliq, a Panama flagged bulk carrier reported being under attack 180 nautical miles west of the Seychelles.

On the early morning of  October 20th 2009 EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Bremen stopped 3 skiffs in the Indian Ocean, 450 nautical miles East of Mogadishu and 300 nautical miles North-west of the Seychelles.

The bulk carrier DE XIN HAI is heading northwest and is now 650 nautical miles off the East coast of Somalia.

Around noon local time, October 19th 2009 the Bulk Carrier DE XIN HAI from the Peoples Republic of China was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, 350 nautical miles North East of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the East coast of Somalia.

During the early morning of October 15 2009 a Singaporeflagged Container Ship KOTA WAJAR was hijacked in the Indean Ocean by Pirates some 300 nautical miles north of the Seychelles.

Today, a helicopter from the EU NAVFOR German warship BREMEN, identified suspected pirate craft in the Somali Basin. The suspect craft were made up of a mother skiff and two smaller skiffs, near the islands of Seychelles (0109S 5355E).