Maritime Casualties--December 17, 2009

Dutch military captures pirates and sailors still missing after ship sinks.

• Dutch Military Thwarts Attack and Captures Pirates

The Dutch navy seized 13 pirates and a haul of weapons after they attempted to attack a merchant ship off the coast of Oman last Thursday.

Pirates tried to board the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged BBC Togo from their speedboats, but the ship was able to repel the attack due to the precautions they installed, such as barbed wire on stairwells.

The pirates fled to a larger fishing boat, 150 nautical miles south of the western town of Salalah but were captured by a Dutch frigate Wednesday evening. Along with the 13 pirates, a slew of weapons was seized, including AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and boarding hooks and ladders. They were arrested and held on HMS Evertsen.

The Dutch frigate is leading an EU naval force in that region to combat piracy and protect food shipments into the dangerous area off Somalia's coast.

 

* * *

• Eleven Sailors Still Missing After Ship Sinks

Eleven sailors are missing after a Turkish cargo ship, bound for Israel, sank in the international waters off the Lebanon-Israel border last Saturday.

The Israeli-owned, Togolese-flagged Salla 2 was transporting building materials from Greece to the port of Haifa when it sent a mayday call at 2 a.m. The ship sank in stormy waters 80 kilometers away from its destination. A Turkish Maritime Task Force ship arrived, but the ship was already sinking. NATO & Cypriot ships were sent to scan the area and only one of the twelve Ukrainian crew members were rescued.

Israeli air force and naval troops are coordinating with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to reinforce and continue search operations.