Action of 25 March 2010
Encyclopedia
The Action of 23 March 2010 was an attack by Somali pirates
on a Panama
nian-flagged merchant vessel and the subsequent capture of the pirates by the Spanish Navy
. The encounter happened off the coast of Somalia
and ended with the death of one pirate and the capture of six others.
had already been attacked and captured twice by Somali pirates over the past few years. In both incidents, ransoms were paid and the freighter
was released. After the second attack, the operators of the ship hired a security team to protect the vessel from the pirates. While sailing off Somalia towards Mogadishu
in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, 25 March 2010, the Panama
flagged vessel was engaged by pirates on a large whaler
and two small skiff
s. The pirates advanced towards the ship, firing AK-47
s and rocket-propelled grenades. As the pirates closed in on their target, the Almezaans security detachment responded. Little is known but the security force of a few men armed with small arms
fired on the attacking skiffs which temporarily forced them back. One pirate was killed and one skiff sustained several small caliber bullet holes. The pirates then attacked again but the merchant vessel was apparently able to slip away. After the attack on the freighter, the pirates began to flee. The successful defense of the freighter and the death of a pirate by the security team was the first known engagement of its type to have occurred according to news reports. Almezaans master reported the incident over to the radio to the allied naval presence in the region and the Spanish frigate
Navarra proceeded to the area after a short cruise.
Accounts differ in terms of what happened next, what is known is that the Spaniards sighted the large mother ship
and the two skiff
s, the Spanish commander then ordered their capture by launching a helicopter
. The helicopter approached the vessels and fired a few warning shots. The pirates refused to surrender so a boarding party was dispatched to the pirate skiffs but by the time the Spanish boarding party had reached the pirates, they had already thrown their weapons into the sea and surrendered. The skiffs were captured and contained seven pirates, one of whom was the man the security team had killed, the Spanish also observed several of the gunshots in the side of the skiff. The sailors returned to their frigate and the mother ship was sunk by naval gunfire. The six living pirates were detained but later released by the Spanish Navy and sent back to Somalia in the remaining skiffs. The pirates were freed due to the crew of Almezaan who refused to testify against their attackers, possibly fearing reprisal.
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
on a Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian-flagged merchant vessel and the subsequent capture of the pirates by the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
. The encounter happened off the coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and ended with the death of one pirate and the capture of six others.
Action
The MV AlmezaanMV Almezaan
The MV Almezaan is a general cargo vessel active off the Horn of Africa. Originally built as the Tarcau, she was re-named in November 2001. The name can be translated from Arabic as "the balance" or "the scales" as well as justice and equity....
had already been attacked and captured twice by Somali pirates over the past few years. In both incidents, ransoms were paid and the freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
was released. After the second attack, the operators of the ship hired a security team to protect the vessel from the pirates. While sailing off Somalia towards Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, 25 March 2010, the Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
flagged vessel was engaged by pirates on a large whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
and two small skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
s. The pirates advanced towards the ship, firing AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s and rocket-propelled grenades. As the pirates closed in on their target, the Almezaans security detachment responded. Little is known but the security force of a few men armed with small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
fired on the attacking skiffs which temporarily forced them back. One pirate was killed and one skiff sustained several small caliber bullet holes. The pirates then attacked again but the merchant vessel was apparently able to slip away. After the attack on the freighter, the pirates began to flee. The successful defense of the freighter and the death of a pirate by the security team was the first known engagement of its type to have occurred according to news reports. Almezaans master reported the incident over to the radio to the allied naval presence in the region and the Spanish frigate
Santa Maria class frigate
The Santa Maria class of frigates are theSpanish Navy's designation for six locally-built warships based on theOliver Hazard Perry-class frigatesof the United States Navy....
Navarra proceeded to the area after a short cruise.
Accounts differ in terms of what happened next, what is known is that the Spaniards sighted the large mother ship
Mother ship
A mother ship is a vessel or aircraft that carries a smaller vessel or aircraft that operates independently from it. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental aircraft to altitudes where they can conduct their research , or ships that carry small submarines to an area of ocean to be...
and the two skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
s, the Spanish commander then ordered their capture by launching a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
. The helicopter approached the vessels and fired a few warning shots. The pirates refused to surrender so a boarding party was dispatched to the pirate skiffs but by the time the Spanish boarding party had reached the pirates, they had already thrown their weapons into the sea and surrendered. The skiffs were captured and contained seven pirates, one of whom was the man the security team had killed, the Spanish also observed several of the gunshots in the side of the skiff. The sailors returned to their frigate and the mother ship was sunk by naval gunfire. The six living pirates were detained but later released by the Spanish Navy and sent back to Somalia in the remaining skiffs. The pirates were freed due to the crew of Almezaan who refused to testify against their attackers, possibly fearing reprisal.