A team of elite British Royal Marines stormed a Somali ship on Friday to seize 13 suspected pirates, who were equipped with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.
The attack on the pirates was launched from RFA Fort Victoria, which is on patrol near Somalia and is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, a civilian-manned fleet which provides support for the Navy.
The capture of the pirate fishing vessel was part of Nato’s Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean, set up to combat the rising levels of piracy in the area. Ocean banditry around the Horn of Africa is costing the world economy billions of pounds a year, as cargo vessels and tankers are forced to pay out massive ransoms and take wide detours around dangerous areas.
Before the Royal Marines launched their assault, the ship’s Navy Lynx helicopter fired several rounds of flares and warning shots over the bows of the fishing vessel, which are known locally as dhows.
When the dhow refused to slow down, a sniper on board the Lynx fired five shots into its hull. Immediately afterwards, two teams of marines in speedboats approached and successfully boarded. The pirates then surrendered, scrambling to the front of their ship with their hands up.
The attack on the pirates was launched from RFA Fort Victoria, which is on patrol near Somalia and is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, a civilian-manned fleet which provides support for the Navy.
The capture of the pirate fishing vessel was part of Nato’s Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean, set up to combat the rising levels of piracy in the area. Ocean banditry around the Horn of Africa is costing the world economy billions of pounds a year, as cargo vessels and tankers are forced to pay out massive ransoms and take wide detours around dangerous areas.
Before the Royal Marines launched their assault, the ship’s Navy Lynx helicopter fired several rounds of flares and warning shots over the bows of the fishing vessel, which are known locally as dhows.
When the dhow refused to slow down, a sniper on board the Lynx fired five shots into its hull. Immediately afterwards, two teams of marines in speedboats approached and successfully boarded. The pirates then surrendered, scrambling to the front of their ship with their hands up.
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