Sailors from the guided-missile ‘USS Howard’ came to the aid to the crew of an Iranian fishing dhow, that was attacked by pirates, south of the island of Socotra near the Gulf of Aden, as seen in video published by US naval Institute.
In coordination with the EU Naval Force and the Turkish-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, which is a part of the Combined Maritime Forces, the US Navy provided assistance to the fishing vessel, after the Iranian coast guard called US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) to report the incident.
The Howard’s boarding team provided food and water, made repairs, and gave medical aid to three injured civilian mariners.
However, Somali piracy has shown a decrease in numbers in last years, due to naval patrols and coordinated anti-piracy measures. IMB’s latest report for the first 9 months of 2017, reported no incidents off the coast of Somalia.
