Pirate mothership destroyed by firefight
SHIPPING: On Wednesday the Dutch warship HNMLS Rotterdam shot a pirate mother ship on fire. Rotterdam had observed a suspicious dhow close to the Somali coast. A boarding team was sent to inspect the vessel.
When the Dutch approached, they were fired upon from both the coast and the dhow. The boarding team returned fire and soon after the dhow became ignited. The people on board jumped into the water to avoid the flames. A person on the vessel was killed during the fire exchange. HNMLS Rotterdam's crew rescued 25 Somalis.
During the rescue operation pirates on the coast continued shooting but no one from the Dutch crew was hit during the incident, though a boarding crew boat was damaged during the exchange of fire.
The suspected pirates received medical attention and are now being detained aboard the Rotterdam, which serves as the flagship of NATO's task force against piracy in the waters off Somalia.
Source: Maritime Bulletin
