The Swedish lead of EU NAVFOR – operating in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea – is now half way through the time of its rotation. In mid-April, Admiral Jan Thörnqvist took command over the EU fleet off Somalia and became the first Swedish Force Commander to lead an EU-mission. Everything is not “hunting pirates” even if that gets more headlines. So far under Swedish leadership The EU Task Force has conducted eight escorts for the UN agency World Food Programme (WFP) and 13 escorts of the African Union’s peacekeeping operation in Somalia (AMISOM).

“It is important that we solve our main tasks, to escort WFP ships with humanitarian aid to Somalia’s 1.6 million internally displaced persons and to escort the AMISOM transports”, notes Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist.

The Swedish admiral and his multinational Force Headquarters, FHQ, have seen both successes and tough challenges. The fact that the new more proactive EU NAVFOR-tactics are successful is proven by statistics; In the first two months, the force managed to disrupt or prevent piracy at about 15 times and a dozen pirate ships, with equipment and weapons, were destroyed or seized by the EU NAVFOR.

A tough challenge in the first period of 2010 has been that the pirates are further out in the Indian Ocean, sometimes closer to India than Somalia. One example is the hijacking April 18, as far as 1200 nautical mil east of the coast of Somalia. Compared to the same period a year ago, data suggest two things: the total number of pirate attacks have increased by 150 percent, but the number of completed hijackings dropped by 25 percent.

“Pirates recruit more young men who are sent further out on the high seas. Their plan is apparently to make a large number of attacks over a larger area, but we are often able to disrupt them before they complete a hijack,” says Admiral Thörnqvist.

FORCE COMMANDER JAN THÖRNQVIST

 Now in June and July, the monsoon is increasing and it becomes more difficult for pirates to operate east of Somalia, in the Indian Ocean and for some time the focus moves north, to the more sheltered Gulf of Aden.

“From a Swedish perspective, we note that HSwMS Carlskrona has worked very well as Flag ship and the new Swedish helicopter, Agusta 109 LUH, has shown a higher availability than we counted on in this tough climate. We also realised that having a helicopter on board is a requirement for the full use of the unit in this type of operation”, explains Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist.

MV QSM Dubai

In the early hours of 2 June it was reported by the owner of the MV QSM Dubai that a group of armed pirates had boarded the ship and taken control. USS COLE from CTF 508 (NATO) first reported that they had seen a person with an RPG on board. A coalition Maritime Patrol Aircraft was tasked to investigate the situation and reported that the ship was hijacked.

The MV QSM Dubai, a Panama flagged general cargo ship with dead weight of 15,220 tonnes and a crew of 24 comprising Egyptian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Ghanaian nationals, was in bound from Brazil when hijacked in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of  African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf  of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

EU NAVFOR French warship FS NIVOSE and her helicopter

A helicopter from the EU NAVFOR warship FS Nivôse was launched against a pirate skiff leading to the disruption of a pirate attack against the merchant vessel Nordneptun off Zanzibar, Tanzania on the morning of 25 May.

EU NAVFOR continues to successfully patrol, intercept and disrupt pirate attacks throughout the EU NAVFOR area of operations. The French EU NAVFOR warship Nivôse responded immediately to a distress signal from Nordneptune, a tanker, which indicated she was under small arms attack from a pirate vessel. As a result of the application of ‘Best Management Practices ‘against pirate attack, the Nordneptune was able to evade the attack.

However, within an hour, the Nordneptune was under further more serious attack by two pirate skiffs. In the interim, EU NAVFOR warship FS Nivôse closed with Nordneptun and was now in a position to launch her helicopter. On arrival, Nivôse helicopter fired warning shots and both skiffs gave up their attack and moved into Tanzanian territorial waters where the Tanzanian Coast Guard was alerted to continue the pursuit.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of  African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf  of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Picture Gallery:

EU HR Catherine Ashton meets the press. Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist to her left and Operational Commander Peter Hudson to her right.

“Piracy is one of the big challenges of our times, both for the region and for the international community.” That is the words of the European Union representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. She visited EU NAVFOR Flag ship HSwMS Carlskrona the Friday 21 of May, during a port visit in Port Victoria, Seychelles.

The High representative (HR) Ashton made an African tour visiting Kenya, Tanzania and Seychelles 18-21 May to meet with political leaders of these countries, international representatives and representatives of civil society. In her first visit to Africa, Ashton is particularly focusing on countries in the region affected by piracy off the east coast of the continent, notably Somalia, and explore with them options for effective and sustainable solutions.

During the visit to the Seychelles HR Ashton visited EU NAVFOR Force Headquarters, based aboard the Swedish warship Carlskrona, which conveniently made a port visit at the Seychelles this week. She was welcomed aboard by the Operational Commander Rear Admiral Peter Hudson and the Force Commander Rear Admiral (LH) Jan Thörnqvist. After a short meeting and a lunch she was briefed on the situation in Operation Atalanta and had a tour on the ship where she showed special interest in the Force Headquarters Maritime Operations Centre.

“I’m delighted to be aboard the Swedish flag ship”, HR Ashton said, very content with the meeting. She also expressed her satisfaction with the efforts that are made in the naval force, especially having the limited assets, in relation to the vast area, in mind and said: “I think the operation is going extremely well”.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of  African Unions Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf  of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Picture Gallery:

The merchant vessels Dream-H (left) and Rozen (near right), sailing for UN World Food Programme with humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons in Somalia, was escorted by EU NAVFOR flag ship HSwMS Carlskrona

The merchant vessels Rozen and Dream-H, sailing for UN World Food Programme with humanitarian aid to displaced persons in Somalia, are now safely delivered to Mogadishu after being escorted by EU NAVFOR Swedish flag ship HSwMS Carlskrona.

The flag ship of EU NAVFOR is not only carrying the Force Headquarters, she is also an Ocean Patrol Vessel with a helicopter and a boarding team in addition to own armament. During her first month in the Operation Atalanta she has solved all the different tasks that are normally performed by the units in the force; escorts, patrolling the internationally recommended transit corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden, carrying out surveillance outside the Somali coast and boarding suspected vessels. Last week, she escorted ships for World Food Programme (WFP) and AMISOM, the tasks that are the number one and two on the priority list for EU NAVFOR.

Her latest escort protecting MV Rozen and MV Dream-H loaded with WFP humanitarian aid was a golden opportunity for the Carlskrona boarding team to practice boarding and searching the vessels. This was performed in cooperation with the captains of the merchant vessels.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of  African Unions Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf  of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Nivose helicopter and boarding parties

EU NAVFOR has continued activities designed to disrupt and destroy Pirate Action Groups (PAGs) with combined sea and air operations in the Somali Basin.

On 4 April, the Swedish Maritime Patrol Aircraft located two suspect ships 270 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, composed of one mother ship and one attack skiff.

EUNAVFOR French warship FS NIVÔSE was vectored onto these craft and intercepted the suspected pirate vessels. NIVÔSE launched its helicopter and additionally sent a boarding party which subsequently apprehended 7 suspect pirates and found small arms, an RPG and ladders. This is the fourth such successful interception by NIVÔSE since joining the EU NAVFOR operation.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Picture Gallery:

Iceberg 1

Reports have been received by EU NAVFOR that the MV Iceberg 1 has been hijacked 10 nautical miles off the port of Aden, Yemen, outside the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).

The Iceberg 1 is a Panama Flagged, Roll on Roll Off vessel with deadweight of 4500 tonnes. The vessel, with a crew of 24 and carrying a mixed cargo of general mechanical equipment, was bound for Jebel Ali in the UAE when hijacked. The crew consist of persons from Yemen, India, Ghana, Sudan, Pakistan and the Philipines.

The last contact with the vessel was the master stating to his owner that pirates were onboard. The vessel appears to be heading towards the Somali coast. EU NAVFOR units are monitoring the situation.

Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

General Cargo ship Almezaan

Early on the morning of Tuesday 23 March, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, UAE owned, MV ALMEZAAN,  en route to Mogadishu, was attacked by pirates off the Somali coast. 

The ship was approximately 60 miles south of Haradere.
EU NAVFOR understands that the attack was successfully repulsed, the pirates broke off their attack and they have left the vicinity of the ALMEZAAN. All personnel onboard the ALMEZAAN are reported to be well.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

EU NAVFOR Spanish warship NAVARRA assists the Iranian Dhow UAID 400

On 19th March the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship NAVARRA was despatched by the Force HQ (ITS ETNA) to assist an Iranian dhow that had sent out a distress call.

The Iranian fishing dhow, named UAID 400, with 13 crewmembers, had suffered a pirate attack some days before and had been left without food,water or sufficient fuel to return to shore.

After a high speed dash, the NAVARRA’s helicopter located the dhow early the following morning, 60 NMiles from its last known position. The crew were seen on deck waving their arms and making desperate signs for help as the helicopter approached them.
 
Once EU NAVFOR warship ESPS NAVARRA arrived in the vicinity of the dhow, a boarding party was sent onboard and confirmed that the fishing vessel’s radio equipment was broken and their mobile phones were not working. The crew were already drinking sea water and there was no food onboard. The crew confirmed that it had been  four days since the attack.

The fishermen reported that the pirates had kept them tied up for two days without food or water.  When the pirates left they looted the vessel and also took the crew’s possessions. The NAVARRA provided the crew with sufficient food, water and fuel to ensure that that they could make it back to the nearest harbour. The Iranian crew, who are now all well, were extremely grateful for EU NAVFOR’s quick reaction to their distress call that clearly saved their lives.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Picture Gallery:

HNIMS TROM

It has been a busy week for the EU NAVFOR frigate HNLMS TROMP during Operations in the Somali Basin. 

In the days leading up to Friday 19 March, the Dutch frigate had disrupted four separate pirate action groups in a large area of the Indian Ocean and bagged a fifth on her way to refuel.

Patrolling the region as part of the ongoing EU counter-piracy mission, TROMP has linked up with other forces, including EU NAVFOR maritime patrol aircraft from Luxembourg and Sweden and forces from the Seychelles Coast Guard. The success of EU NAVFOR and other international patrols close to the coast of Somalia has forced the pirates to move further out to sea. Demonstrating the flexibility and reach of naval forces, TROMP has responded by moving into new operating areas. Last week’soperations, with five pirate action groups (PAGs) disrupted, haveshown the success of this strategy.

TROMP’s impressive haul includes the destruction of several mother ships and skiffs, small boats used by pirates, as well as the confiscation of weapons and ammunition and the gathering of intelligence. A total of thirty one suspects were detained before being released with sufficient fuel and water to reach safety. 

Buoyed by last week’s success, HNLMS TROMP is now back on patrol with other EU NAVFOR ships and aircraft in the continuing operation to disrupt PAGs before they have the chance to seriosly menace merchant shipping. 

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.