NATO’s counter piracy flagship, HNLMS ROTTERDAM, was forced to return fire on a pirate dhow while conducting routine surveillance this week in the Gulf of Aden.
The HNLMS ROTTERDAM, flagship for NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield, was off the coast of Somalia when it came under fire by a group of pirates from a nearby dhow as well as from pirates on shore.
In typical counter-piracy fashion, the HNLMS ROTTERDAM returned fire, blasting the dhow and setting it ablaze. The pirates on board were forced to abandoned ship to escape the fire and were quickly apprehended.
“In this instance the pirates openly chose confrontation. This does not happen often and it indicates that we are indeed impeding their operations and in doing so, pushing them to take more extreme options,” said Commodore Ben Bekkering, commander of the Nato task force.
One pirate was reportedly killed in the exchange.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 108,949 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
A Yemeni-flagged fishing vessel was hijacked off Durdura near Eyl, Somalia on March 16, with seven suspected pirates currently holding eight Somali crew members aboard. EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, the European Union’s...
A crew member on a Singapore-registered chemical tanker was injured due to an "unauthorised boarding" of the vessel on Friday and is being medically evacuated, Singapore's port authority said.
European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA has secured the release of the Yemeni fishing vessel AL NAJMA following its hijacking off the northern coast of Puntland, Somalia. The incident,...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,949 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
