Africa: Danish forces free ship captured by pirates (Page 1 of 2)

Nairobi - Danish special forces stormed a ship captured by armed Somali pirates on Friday and freed the 25 crew on board, marking the first time a warship has intervened during a hijacking.

Cmdr John Harbour, a spokesman for the European Union Naval Force, said that after the vessel Ariella sent out a distress signal early on Friday, the Danish warship Absalon sent a helicopter to confirm the presence of pirates, and communicated with the crew to ensure they were in a safe location.

Lt Col Wolfgang Schmidt, a spokesman for Nato's Lisbon-based Joint Command, said: "Once Nato were absolutely sure that the crew on board were safe and not going to be caught up in any cross fire, the decision was made to send in the specialist teams."
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Ten Danish special forces aboard the Absalon approached the Ariella in an inflatable dinghy. The forces scaled the side of the ship and freed the 25 crew, who had locked themselves in a secure room, and continued to search the vessel for the pirates.

In the meantime, sailors from the nearby Russian Navy ship Neustrashimyy boarded and detained pirates aboard a second skiff.

Harbour praised the Nato forces for their fast reaction and co-ordination with other forces in the area.

"There's been many instances where there's been excellent co-operation and three, four or even five nations have helped deter a pirate attack," he said.

But, he added: "This is the first where a warship has been able to send forces to stop a hijacking while it was in progress."

Warships typically do not intervene in hijackings because of the danger that crews may be hit by crossfire.

Harbour said forces had been able to intervene in this case because the ship had registered with naval authorities, was travelling along a recommended transit corridor and was part of a group transit, ensuring the ships had a helicopter within 30 minutes' reaction time.

Source Url: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20100205172150885C833893

Posted By: News Poster
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Date Posted: Monday 08-Feb-2010
RE: the article on the intervention of Danish forces during the most recent Somali hijacking. Three cheers for the Danes and Russians for stopping the hijacking, but one statement in the article needs to be addressed. The article said ;"Piracy is one of the few ways to make money in Somalia, an arid, impoverished land torn apart by civil war." The author apparently has the phrases : "make money" and "STEAL money" confused. In this Orwellian NWO situation we have been forced into it's important to make such distinctions. Using impoverishment as an excuse for theft (and often murder) is pandering to the same mindset that has Orwell (and others) roaring "I warned you" from the grave. "Making money" and "STEALING money" should never be confused, but the politically correct often miss the distinction thanks to their programming.

TJeff