Bartamaha (Nairobi):- NATO said Wednesday that it prevented a pirate attack this past Sunday off the coast of Somalia.

“On Sunday 28 February 2010 the NATO flagship HDMS Absalon undertook direct action to disrupt the piracy in the Somali Basin by scuttling a pirate mother skiff, one of the large, open boats that pirates use to transport and support their attack teams to offshore hunting areas,” NATO said in press release today.

The Absalon is the flagship of NATO’s counter-piracy operation Ocean Shield off the Horn of Africa.

According to NATO, the pirate’s mother skiff was scuttled by use of specialist teams from Absalon after it was intercepted by a boarding team.

NATO said the skiff was located earlier Sunday after it left a well known pirate camp located on the eastern Somali coastline, fully loaded with pirate equipment and supplies.

With the north-easterly Monsoon season coming to an end, the wind and sea conditions have been growing more favorable for pirates to venture out into the Somali Basin in search of merchant ships to seize. The coming months of March, April and May have been among the most lucrative in recent years for pirates operating in the region, because of the relatively calm seas at that time of the year.

NATO said it – and its Coalition Maritime Forces and EU partners – have recently received indications of future pirate attacks.

“This was a very well executed operation,” said CDRE Christian Rune.

“Disrupting the pirates’ capability just off their main pirate camps sends a strong signal to the pirates that NATO and the international community do not tolerate their actions. Disposing of their vessels before they can head to sea hits the pirates before they can present a threat to merchant shipping,” said Rune.

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Source: eurasiareview

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