Somali pirates have a bad day...

[Madzng]

A few "Q ships" in the area may make the pirates a little more cautious.

Somali pirates arrested after attempting to hijack Spanish warship

Six Somali pirates were arrested after they tried to hijack the flagship of the European Union’s naval force patrolling off the Horn of Africa.

The gang sped up to the Spanish warship Patino and opened fire with assault rifles before trying to climb up the side of the 17,000-tonne vessel.

Its crew immediately returned fire, forcing the pirates off the hull and back into their skiff, where they dumped their weapons overboard and attempted to escape.

They were tracked by the Patino’s helicopter and eventually surrendered. Five were injured and two needed medical treatment onboard the Spanish ship.

"The suspected pirates opened fire with light calibre weapons and tried to board the Patino,” the EU’s anti-piracy force command said in a statement.

“The ship's force-protection team returned fire in self-defence and the ship's helicopter was launched. The skiff broke off the attack and the men surrendered to the helicopter after throwing their weapons, ladder and fuel barrels overboard.”

The attack took place early on Thursday, after the Patino, currently leading the EU’s multinational anti-piracy force, had completed a mission escorting a cargo ship carrying famine food aid to Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.

It was unclear why the small group of pirates felt that they could overpower the Patino and its 150-plus crew.

Heavily armed Somali pirates took 1,016 hostages last year and their brutrality is getting worse.

[The Dieselduck]

Yes a bad day indeed, not much sorrows for them. But I must remark that the naval ship was probably not following best practices procedures for transit in pirated waters, since the pirate skiff was already alongside.... mmmmmm. If it were not for superior training and weapons, they would have fallen to them. But it does highlight the severity of the problem.

[JollyJack]

I wonder why any of them were left alive? There was a perfect situation to execute them all and call it "self defence". They need to know that no quarter should be given, death the only way out of piracy.....and you can start in the boardrooms of the Corporations who finance the pirates!