NATO Warship Captures Suspected Pirates

On Sunday, November 10, 2013, NATO’s counter-piracy Operation Ocean Shield warship HDMS Esbern Snare boarded two small craft and detained nine suspected pirates, following an attack in the area the previous day.

On Saturday, the Danish flagged vessel Torm Kansas reported she was attacked unsuccessfully by pirates in the Indian Ocean, but the ship’s armed security team repelled the attack. Esbern Snare, the closest NATO unit to the failed attack, was directed to the scene by the Commander of the Ocean Shield Task Force (CTF-508), Commodore Henning Amundsen. During the night, despite unfavorable weather conditions, Esbern Snare located a whaler and a skiff in the vicinity of the attack on the Danish vessel.

On Sunday, Esbern Snare’s Special Maritime Insertion Unit, supported by the embarked LYNX helicopter, launched an operation against the two small craft to investigate their possible involvement in the attack. The suspected pirates surrendered without resistance and are being detained aboard Esbern Snare.

The failed attack on Torm Kansas is one of several such attacks in the Indian Ocean in recent days, indicating an increase in pirate activity in the region. None of these attacks have been successful, due in large part to the presence of three counter-piracy task forces and several independent Naval vessels patrolling the Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden, as well as the use of armed security teams and adoption of other counter-piracy best practices by many merchant ships transiting the region.

"This incident is both a positive example of the successes of the international community in deterring piracy and a reminder that we must remain vigilant," Amundsen said. "The root causes of piracy remain, though the international community is working to address them."

aco.nato.int