EU naval forces capture six pirates off coast of Somalia
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European Union naval forces have captured six pirates off the coast of Somalia after an attack on a French fishing vessel, official said Wednesday.
Naval Force spokesman John Harbour said two skiffs attacked French replenishment ship Somme on Monday night, about 400 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia.
According to Harbour, whilst chasing one of the skiffs, FS Somme detected another boat which turned out to be the pirate mother ship, the vessel which controls and resupplies the pirate skiffs.
Harbour said the pirates, mistaking Somme's silhouette for that of a merchant vessel, opened fire on the French ship but Somme responded with warning shots, causing the two pirate skiffs to flee. "During their flight, the two pirate skiffs were separated. FS Somme then gave chase to the skiff which was apprehended with a further four pirates on board. The skiff and the six pirates was now being held on board FS Somme," Harbour said in a statement. "The mother ship was captured less than half an hour later with two pirates on board, and her fuel and pirate paraphernalia (weapons and grappling lines) were seized. The mother ship was destroyed and sank," he added.
FS Somme had been engaged in a support mission for the EU NAVFOR anti piracy operation Atalanta, replenishing her supplies when she was attacked on Monday night.
The French warship was also attacked by pirates on October 7, 2009. The ship's company then intercepted five pirates and their skiff.
Piracy has become rampant off the coast of Africa, especially in the waters near Somalia, which has been without an effective government since 1991.
Ransoms started out in tens of thousands of dollars and have since climbed into the millions.
The Horn of Africa nation is at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping channels. About 25,000 ships use the channel south of Yemen, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
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