Hamburg: European Union and NATO naval forces teamed up to arrest seven suspected pirates after they attacked a German naval tanker and will decide later today where to send them for trial, Bloomberg writes, quoting an EU statement.
The seven suspects yesterday attacked the FGS Spessart, part of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization fleet, about 85 miles north of the Somali port of Bosaso on the Gulf of Aden, the EU's Maritime Security Centre said on its Web site. Helicopters from German, Dutch and U.S. warships were all involved in repulsing the attack.
Greek marines from the Psara, the command ship for the EU's anti-piracy fleet, detained the pirates who were later transferred to German frigate FGS Rheinland Pfalz.
The French and Dutch have brought Somali pirates to Europe to face trial, while German, British and U.S. naval forces have turned them over to Kenya's justice system.
Pirates attacked 165 ships last year, and seized 43 of them for ransom. That spurred European nations and the U.S. to send naval ships to the region. About 20 warships from 15 countries are patrolling the gulf between Yemen and Somalia, the world's most dangerous waters for pirate attacks on commercial vessels. Seven ships had been seized so far this year. [31/03/09]
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