EU naval force thwarts Somali pirate attack on MV Beluga Fortune

[News_Editor]

EU naval force thwarts Somali pirate attack on MV Beluga Fortune

2010-10-26 22:21:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) - European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) on Sunday thwarted a Somali pirate attack on the MV Beluga Fortune, the force said on Tuesday.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the captain of the cargo ship reported that his ship was under attack by pirates about 750 nautical miles (1,207 kilometers) off the Somali coast. The captain then reported that pirates were on board and that he was with his crew locked in the ships 'citadel', disabling the ship’s propulsion.

Later in the afternoon, an EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft was dispatched to the area of the incident and reported sighting individuals on board, but was unable to establish contact with the crew.

The warship HMS Montrose, operating under NATO's naval force, headed towards the vessel as it was the closest ship from the scene of attack. As a result, the pirates set fire to part of the superstructure and abandoned the ship on Monday.

"The alarmed Bundeswehr Operations Command and the international forces of the EU-Anti-Pirate-Mission 'Operation Atalanta' coordinated the deployment of the warships and ferret aircraft on site," the Beluga Shipping GmbH said.

"All involved forces have acted very target-oriented and in combination with the excellent behavior of our colleagues on board made such a swift and happy ending of the capture possible," it added.

NATO said that a team of Royal Marines from HMS Montrose boarded the vessel on Monday afternoon and released them from the safe room, reporting that none of the crew were injured.

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