The suspected pirates arrive in Mauritius in January 2013. Photo: EU NAVFOR
Twelve Somali nationals have been acquitted of piracy charges in the Republic of Mauritius in the small island nation’s first maritime piracy trial since agreeing with the EU to accept suspected pirates for prosecution.
The twelve men, ages 20 to 45 according to the AFP, were accused of attacking the Panamanian-flagged containership ‘MSC Jasmine’ on January 5, 2013 in the Indian Ocean several hundred miles off the coast of Somalia.
According to a International Maritime Bureau Live Piracy & Armed Robbery Report issued following the incident, a group of six pirates in a skiff chased and fired upon the containership using automatic weapons and an RPG while underway approximately 400nm off the coast of Mogadishu, Somalia. The attack was repelled after the shipboard armed security team fired warning shots towards the attackers while the crew hid in the ship’s citadel.
The attackers were later captured by European naval forces after returning to their pirate mothership and eventually transferred to Mauritius for prosecution.
The judge presiding over the trial found the men not guilty of piracy, citing that the prosecution did not provide enough evidence to prove otherwise.
Located in the southern Indian Ocean, the Republic of Mauritius in 2011 signed an agreement with the European Union allowing for the transfer of suspected pirates detained by EU Naval Forces (EU NAVFOR) in the Indian Ocean for the purpose of investigation and prosecution. The twelve men in this case were the first suspected pirates to be transferred following the implementation of the Transfer Agreement in June 2012.
By Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI, March 23 (Reuters) – The Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operations east of the Red Sea, where...
By Giulia Paravicini, Jonathan Saul and Abdiqani Hassan MOGADISHU, March 21 (Reuters) – As a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western...
(Bloomberg) — Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion has entered a new phase, pitting homegrown drone technology against a 2,000 kilometer (1,200 mile) swathe of largely Soviet-era oil facilities. At least...
March 20, 2024
Total Views: 13636
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.