Suspected pirates received medical attention and are now being detained aboard the Rotterdam
According to ABC news, the crew of the Dutch warship HNMLS Rotterdam
spotted a dhow close to the Somali shoreline, early this Wednesday. Because these kinds of fishing vessels are often used as “mother ships” for pirate crews, a boarding team was routinely dispatched to inspect the vessel.
As the boarding party neared the dhow, the Dutch sailors took sustained gunfire from both the dhow and fighters on shore. The boarding party returned fire and very quickly the dhow ignited in flames and those aboard jumped in the water to escape the blaze. The firefight killed one person aboard the dhow.
The Rotterdam’s crew rescued 25 men from the ocean, but the rescue effort proved dangerous as the gunmen on shore continued to fire at both the boarding party and the Rotterdam. None of the Rotterdam’s crew was injured in the incident, though the rigid-hulled boat the boarding party was using sustained damage.
The suspected pirates received medical attention and are now being detained aboard the Rotterdam, which serves as the flagship for NATO’s counter-piracy task force off the waters of Somalia, known as “Ocean Shield.”
