European Union has confirmed that release of a Thai fishing vessel from the clutches of Somali pirates. It is said that the pirates hold the vessel for four months and was asking for huge ransom. French officials said their navy seized 11 suspected pirates elsewhere along Somalia’s coast.
French Defense Ministry has announced the seizure of pirates and that brings the three-day take to a record 35 for the EU’s piracy-fighting operation in the region. The ministry said the frigate Nivose — backed by the Italian logistics support ship Etna and a Spanish maritime patrol aircraft — took part in the capture in an unspecified part of the Indian Ocean off Somalia’s coast.
According to the ministry the EU forces used helicopters and fired warning shots to stop and capture the “mother ship” and two accompanying skiffs of the suspected pirates on Sunday. EU Naval Force spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour informed that pirates freed the Thai Union 3 for a ransom. The amount of ransom has not revealed.
The report says that the fishing boat was hijacked on October 29 in the Indian Ocean about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of the Seychelles and 650 miles (1,050 kilometers) from the Somali coast. The EU naval force works to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia’s coast and escorts ships carrying humanitarian aid. But the area is large and pirates have established many safe havens along the coast where they can hold ships for long periods of time.
