January 2011

The Royal Navy’s Type 23 Duke Class Frigate HMS RICHMOND has joined EUNAVFOR.

February 1st marks the beginning of a new era in the Finnish Navy when FNS POHJANMAA joins EU NAVFOR Operation ATALANTA. This is the first time the Finnish Navy has ever participated in an international naval military operation with a warship.

The EU NAVFOR Media centre receives a lot of questions about hijacked vessels and piracy attacks. In order to provide easy accessible information, two new documents which will be kept up to date, have been published on the website.

Although exact details surrounding the situation are not known at this time, there are indications that the Taiwanese flagged fishing vessel TAI JUAN 227 has been released from pirate control.

On Saturday 22 January, Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Juan Rodriguez met Captain Hiroshi Ito, Commander of Japanese 7th deployed counter-piracy surface force (CCD7).

After 4 days of uncertainty regarding the exact status of the crew, MV BELUGA NOMINATION is now believed to be pirated.

On the 21 of January, the Spanish support ship finished as an EU NAVFOR warship after 42 days of operations and supporting EU NAVFOR. During this high tempo operational period she has spent a good deal of her time protecting the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor.

On the 20 January, the Belgium frigate finished as an EU NAVFOR warship after 91 days of proudly flying the European Flag.

On the 20 January, the French frigate JACOUBET finished as an EUNAVFOR warship after 33 days proudly flying the European Flag.

During the afternoon of 20 January, the bulk carrier MV KHALED MUHIEDDINE K was pirated in the North Arabian Sea approximately 330 nautical miles South East of the Omani coastal port of Salalah.

During the afternoon of 20 January, the bulk carrier MV KHALED MUHIEDDINE K and the chemical tanker MV BUNGA LAUREL were pirated in the North Arabian Sea.

The MV HOANG SON SUN is believed to have been pirated approximately 520 nautical miles South East of the port of Muscat, Oman. The 22,835-tonne Bulk carrier, which is Mongolian flagged and Vietnamese owned, has a crew of 24 Vietnamese nationals.

As reported earlier, the Product Tanker MV MOTIVATOR was released from pirate control earlier this week.

Between the 11 and 18 January 2011, the EU NAVFOR Italian warship ITS Zeffiro and the Spanish warship SPS CANARIAS successfully completed the escort of the MV MASAR TRADE, chartered by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

 In the early hours of Monday 17 January, the bulk carrier MV EAGLE was attacked and pirated by a single skiff, with pirates firing small arms and a Rocket Propelled Grenade before boarding the vessel.

In the early morning of 16 January, the Product Tanker MV MOTIVATOR was released from pirate control.

On the morning of 15 January, the MV SAMHO JEWELRY was pirated approximately 350 nautical miles South East of the port of Muscat, Oman.

On 13 January 2011, Rear Admiral Thomas J. Ernst (German Navy) handed over the responsibility of Deputy Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force Somalia, Operation ATALANTA to Rear Admiral Guido Rando (Italian Navy).

On 6 January, the MV FRONT WARRIOR and the MV BW AUSTRIA defeated pirate attacks through the use of Best Management Practices(http://www.mschoa.org/bmp3/Pages/BestManagementPractises.aspx).

In the afternoon of 1 January, the MV BLIDA was pirated approximately 150 nautical miles South East of the port of Salalah, Oman.

The Mozambican flagged Fishing Vessel VEGA 5, which was previously reported missing by her owner, is now confirmed as being pirated in the waters between Mozambique and Madagascar.