On Saturday 19 September a exausted man was saved by the Swedish units after swimming nearly 3 km in an attempt to board the sealift vessel that will bring the EU NAVFOR Swedish warships back home.

On Friday 18 September the EU NAVFOR Swedish warships MALMOE, STOCKHOLM and TROSSOE sailed to sealift vessel EIDE anchored outside Djibouti port.
On Saturday night one of the soldiers standing anchor-watch detected a person that climbed the anchor cable and one trying to do the same behind him. The second man fell back in to the sea and HMS MALMOE threw a floating device over board. The crew of MALMOE pulled him onboard.

The men were returned to the authorities in Djibouti.

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On 13 and 14 September the EU NAVFOR Belgian warship LOUISE-MARIE escorted the Mighty Servant 1, a 29,000-ton semi-submersible heavy-lift ship.

The LOUISE-MARIE, participating in the European Union Naval Force – Operation Atalanta, was tasked to escort the Mighty Servant 1, a 29,000-ton semi-submersible heavy-lift ship. The Mighty Servant 1, transiting from the Maldives to Norway, is transporting a huge part of an oil production platform. The Mighty Servant 1 can submerse herself in order to receive a heavy load and this type of ship has a typically low well deck and sails with at relatively low speed. The extreme load also means that there are several blind sectors of visibility around the ship and these factors, as well as her low speed make the Mighty Servant 1 vulnerable to pirate attack . EU NAVFOR Belgian warship Louise-Marie started her escort of the Might Servant 1 on 13 Sep and after 2 days handed over to EU NAVFOR Swedish warship HSwMS MALMOE to continue the escort.

EU NAVFOR, the NATO Task Force and TF 151 of the Combined Maritime Forces headquartered in Bahrein coordinate their efforts for the protection of all shipping in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden. Ships that register with MSCHOA and have received a high vulnerability rating will be particularly monitored during their transit through the protected IRTC.

All shipping is strongly advised to adopt the Best Management Practices as advertised on the MSCHOA website. On top of that, the Chinese, Japanese and South Korean maritime forces that conduct in principle National convoys regularly allow other flagged ships to attach. Information and coordination between all the Task Forces mentioned above is exchanged via the EU initiated common communications system.

Additional Pictures

EU NAVFOR ships BNS LOUISE-MARIE and HSwMS MALMOE escorts vulnerable giant MIGHTY SERVANT 1

EU NAVFOR BELGIAN WARSHIP LOUISE-MARIE escorts 'Mighty Servant I'

Today, 8 June, seven suspected pirates taken into custody by EU NAVFOR Swedish warship HSwMS MALMOE 26 May, were handed over to Kenyan authorities for prosecution in accordance with the agreement between the EU and Kenya.

HSwMS MALMOE

On 26 May, the Swedish corvette HSwMS MALMOE detained 7 suspected pirates after an unsuccessful attack on a Greek merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden. Under the EU-Kenyan agreement established in March 2009, Kenya has agreed to accept the pirates for further prosecution. The pirates will be imminently transferred to Mombasa.

This is the sixth group of detained pirates taking the total to 59 who have been handed over to Kenyan authorities.

HSwMS MALMO on patrol

Early this morning, suspected pirates attacked a Greek Bulk Carrier in the Gulf of Aden.  The pirates fired upon the ship with small arms and RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). A distress call was picked up by the EU NAVFOR Swedish warship HSwMS MALMOE which immediately proceeded to the area.

HSwMS MALMOE made visual contact with the attacking skiff and fired warning shots and flares. The skiff stopped after pursuit and was boarded by a VPD (Vessel Protection Detachment).  Weapons, GPS equipment, grappling hooks and barrels of fuel were found on board the skiff. Seven suspected pirates were captured and are at present being held for further investigation.

The merchant vessel attacked was registered at the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa – www.mschoa.org.

STOCKHOLM alongside TROSSOE, showing EU-insignia

Since yesterday afternoon, 15 May 2009, the EU Naval Force Atalanta has been reinforced by 3 new assets from Sweden.

The 2 corvettes, HSwMS STOCKHOLM and HSwMS MALMOE, and their tender (supply unit) HSwMS TROSSOE, were transported from Sweden mid-April on the back of a dock ship and arrived in Djibouti 3 weeks later. After a short period of sea trials they are now operational and have joined the Task Force.

The 2 corvettes are capable of high speeds and will provide a powerful reinforcement to the EU Naval Force, now consisting of 13 ships and 3 Maritime Patrol Aircraft from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Sweden.