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| ESBERN SNARE’s helicopter fired warning shots in front of the skiff on Friday's piracy disruption. |
Early Saturday morning Royal Danish Navy warship HDMS ESBERN SNARE, operating as the Flagship for NATO's counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD off the Horn of Africa, disrupted yet another group of suspected pirates preparing to attack innocent merchant vessels transiting in the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden.
This is the second skiff of suspected pirates that warship ESBERN SNARE has disrupted in the past 24 hours
Shortly after daybreak, a sailor on ‘look out' watch spotted a suspicious skiff with seven persons on board. When ESBERN SNARE moved closer to the skiff, the suspected pirates onboard, realising that they had been spotted were seen throwing a pirate ladder and weapons overboard. The Danish warship quickly sent their boarding team to search the skiff and apprehend the suspected pirates for further questioning. The search of the skiff revealed an AK47 assault rifle, an additional outboard engine, and a large quantity of fuel which the Danish boarding team confiscated due to security concerns.
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