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Two German ships from NATO have joined Op Atalanta in the Gulf of Aden this week; the frigate FGS EMDEN and the tanker FGS SPESSART.

A 43,000 tonne Greek owned bulk carrier, the MV TITAN was hijacked earlier this afternoon while transiting eastbound through the IRTC in the Gulf of Aden.

On Wednesday, the British Op Atalanta Commander Rear Admiral Phillip Jones welcomed the UK Minister for The Armed Forces, The Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, to the EU NAVFOR operations headquarters in Northwood.

For the first time a vessel of the EU Naval Force Atalanta handed over arrested pirates to the Kenyan authorities for prosecution.

The Op Atalanta German frigate FGS RHEINLAND-PFALZ made an unofficial rendezvous with the German cruise liner MS DEUTSCHLAND as she traveled through the Gulf of Aden yesterday.

The Italian Navy has officially announced that the corvette ITS COMMANDANTE BETTICA, will join the EU Naval Force operating off the coast of Somalia this week.

A legal agreement was announced today allowing suspected pirates detained by the European Union Naval Force Atalanta to be prosecuted in Kenyan courts and if found guilty sentenced to imprisonment in their jails.

The Norwegian Government announced this week that they will contribute one of their brand new NANSEN-Class Frigates to the EU NAVFOR anti-piracy operation. The 5000 tonne warship will bring a significant capability to the Op Atalanta force when it deploys in August.

Early this morning the German warship RHEINLAND-PFALZ and the American destroyer MONTEREY successfully fended off a pirate attack on the German owned MV COURIER as it transited through the Gulf of Aden.

At 0400GMT yesterday morning the 75,000 tonne MV SALDANHA with its 22 man crew and cargo of coal was hijacked whilst transiting westbound through the transit corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden.

Representatives from India, China, Japan and Ukraine visited the Operation HQ in Northwood to discuss sharing information between those forces conducting counter piracy activities.

Text of report in English by French news agency AFP A Spanish warship Thursday [ 12 February] foiled an attack by pirates on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, the defence ministry said.