Fivesuspected pirates were detained by French forces on Saturday after theyreportedly commandeered a dhow.
Thefive are believed to be responsible for an attack earlier on Friday around 115nmsouth of Salalah in the Gulf of Aden.
Thetanker had issued a distress call to the UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) onthe evening of Friday 17 January, reporting to be under attack.
Accordingto the reports, the attack was repelled by a private armed security teamembarked on board the ship. The skiff then headed to a nearby dhow.
AJapanese maritime patrol aircraft and a helicopter from the Japanese naval vesselJS Samidare initially located the dhow.
TheEU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship FS Siroco was then able to close distanceto the dhow and launch their helicopter and boarding team.
“Uponnearing the dhow, the helicopter crew and boarding team observed that people onboard the dhow were throwing equipment over board, deepening the suspicion thatthe dhow was indeed the reported pirate mother-ship,” said an EU NAVFORspokesman.
“Oncethe Siroco’s team boarded the dhow, five Somali suspect pirates surrendered andwere separated from the dhow’s crew and transferred to FS Siroco for furtherinvestigation.
“Themaster’s initial statement supported the suspicion that his dhow has beenpirated and his crew taken hostage several days ago off the coast of Somalia.
“Healso stated that the suspect pirates were responsible for the attack on the oiltanker the day before.”
Theattack marks the first pirate incident of the year following a false alarm overthe hijacking of the general cargo ship Marzooqah, which turned out to be a boarding by Eritrean border guards.
The incident occurred merely days after the IMBissued a report stating that piracy was at its lowest level in six years.
