9:08 PM Tue 6 Apr 2010 GMT
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'Dutch Commandos in action this week'
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The Seychelles was showing the world how to deal with pirates last week, this week it's the Dutch. Armed Dutch commandos have abseiled from a helicopter onto the deck of a German cargo ship to attack and arrest Somali pirates and free the crew.
The commandos arrested 10 pirates, and then freed the crew of 15 who had been hiding in a secure section of the ship. The Dutch frigate Tromp rescued the ship - the German container ship Taipan - and its crew about 560 miles east of the lawless east African state just four hours after receiving a distress signal from the stricken vessel.
One of the Dutch commandos was slightly wounded during the exchange of gunfire with the pirates.
A Dutch defence ministry spokesman said: 'The ship had been attacked by pirates and the crew had hidden in a secure space on board.'
The Dutch navy launched the operation as part of an EU naval mission called Operation Atalanta, which aims to protect shipping off Somalia. Last month 18 pirate gangs were tracked down, 22 skiffs destroyed and 131 pirates apprehended for prosecution. But that still leaves eight vessels and 157 hostages in the hands of Somali pirates.
It has been a year since NATO ships arrived in the Gulf of Aden on 24 March 2009. Five ships were deployed as part of NATO's counter piracy mission, Operation Allied Protector. Piracy has been gradually on the rise since the end of the Cold War when naval presence across the globe was significantly reduced. Higher levels of organised crime have fuelled the momentum of piracy in addition to radar, communication and navigational technology, which are widely
available to pirates.
One of the security firms who have been escorting super yachts through the danger zone, Eos Risk Management Ltd recently told The Yacht Report, 'In percentage terms I'd say eight to 10 per cent of yachts that we took through the Gulf of Aden have been attacked.'
Another yacht security firm, Orchid described; 'Since September 2008 we have conducted over 150 transits and have had nine pirate attacks.' Although slow commercial ships remain the principal target for piracy, with a heightened profile, superyachts are increasingly being seen as lucrative prey. Twelve months ago piracy in the Gulf of Aden was rife. Not a week went by when there wasn't a report of some sort of hijack attempt. Somalia was the main source of the problem; lacking a central government since 1991, the country has suffered complete state collapse. Any attempts to establish a government have been resisted largely due to the powerful warlord ruled clans.
Ninety per cent of global trade by volume is carried by sea with 50 per cent of the world's containers passing through the Indian Ocean. The Gulf of Aden sees over 22,000 ships per year transiting through on their way to countries all over the globe making it an important route for trade. The year after the NATO task force was sent to disrupt the rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden, ships are still in the area but with an enhanced operational aim and with notable successes achieved. Earlier this month NATO nations agreed to extend Operation Ocean Shield, an enhanced piracy mission initiated in August 2009, until the end of 2012.
Having established themselves in the area, NATO have gone above and beyond the call of duty. For NATO Commanders, Operation Ocean Shield is not just about deterring and preventing pirate attacks; it is increasingly about gathering piracy information and reassuring innocent seafarers that they can be safe at sea.
NATO boarding parties are routinely conducting maritime security assurance visits to small local vessels operating in the Gulf of Aden.? These friendly meetings aim to allay concerns that local seafarers may have about their safety and to
reassure them that naval vessels are patrolling in the area. Where necessary the navies will provide water and food to these small dhows.
While the news is all good and getting better, international leisure yachts are still advised heavily against venturing into the piracy area, which extends east as far as India, and south as far as Madagascar. The convoys which are arranged require a cruising speed of 15 knots - a speed that most yachts, unlike their larger brothers the super yachts, cannot achieve.
by Sail-World Cruising
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