TEXT
Royal Navy hands fishing boat to Yemen
authorities in counter-piracy operation
An elite team of Royal Marines stormed
the fishing vessel on Friday, seizing it back from a
gang of suspected Somali pirates. The pirates are
believed to have stolen the fishing vessel in order
[5] to use it as a platform for launching hijack
attempts on cargo ships and tankers in the Gulf of
Aden.
The return of the fishing vessel – known
as a dhow – is part of the NATO (North Atlantic
[10] Treaty Organization) crackdown on piracy in the
seas around Somalia. Captain Gerry Northwood,
who is heading the counter-piracy operation on
board RFA Fort Victoria, said that he was pleased
to return the dhow to her Yemeni owner. “This
[15] was a good example of Royal Navy and the
Yemeni Navy working together for the common
good of the local maritime community”, he said.
“I was pleased that we were able to return the
dhow to its rightful owner. It is important that
[20] through our cooperation with the Yemeni Navy,
we reassure the local maritime community that we
are able to protect their interests. They are as
much the victims of Somali piracy as the larger
international ships navigating through the area".
[25] The dhow was handed over to the Yemeni Navy.
A spokesman said “Thank you for the dhow and
thank you for everything”.
Piracy in the Indian Ocean currently costs
the world economy billions of pounds a year.
[30] Merchant vessels are being forced into large
detours around dangerous areas and insurance
costs have risen.
(Adapted from www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/ Jan 17,2012)
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