The 'Esbern Snare' which has been sent to the Gulf of Guinea to help secure the sea routes, was in a battle with pirates on Nov 24, 2021. Four pirates were killed, none of the Danish soldiers were injured. The fregate had responded to reports of an increased risk of piracy in the waters south of Nigeria. The ship headed in that direction and launched its Seahawk helicopter in advance to observe. The crew of the helicopter found a speeding motorboat with eight suspicious men on board in the afternoon in an area with a number of merchant ships. On board the boat, the helicopter crew could see a number of the tools associated with piracy, including ladders. In the evening, Esbern Snare was close enough to send the Frogman Corps off in their fast-moving RHIBs to board the pirate boat. The 'Esbern Snare' called the pirates to bring them to a halt so that the Danish soldiers could get on board. When the pirates did not react, the Danish forces fired warning shots. The pirates then opened fire directly on the Danish soldiers. These reacted in self-defense and responded to the fire from the pirates. A brief firefight ensued, in which five pirates were hit. Four of the pirates died. One was injured. After the firefight, the pirate boat sank. The eight pirates were taken aboard the 'Esbern Snare', where the wounded man was treated for his injuries. The inter-ministerial working group must now assess what should happen to the pirates.
News
ANGELICA I
The crew of the 'Aegean Angel', being underway in position 01 17 06N, 104 20 15E, in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait en route from Ras Tanura, found the steering room padlock broken, scanned the area and sighted three perpetrators jumping overboard on Oct 27, 2021, at around 5.10 p.m. The Master ordered checks to be conducted, all personnel were accounted for and no items were reported missing. The vessel did not require any assistance and continued its voyage to its next port of call Sriracha with an ETA as of Oct 30.
MV MERVEILE
The 'Cap Saint George', en route from Libreville to Lome, was boarded by pirates in position 03 23 22 N, 005 41 03 E, approximately 100 nautical miles southwest of Bonny on Nov 11, 2021, at 1 a.m. The pirates remained on board for 30 minutes and abducted five crew members.
WHITE IVY
The 'White Ivy' was boarded by seven perpetrators in position 09 22 52N, 013 41 28W, at the Conakry Anchorage on Oct 25, 2021, at 2.08 a.m. They were armed with guns and knives. The vessel was robbed of computers and laptops. The vessel called the Conakry port authorities which deployed a patrol ship in the area. The crew members were reportedly safe.
ROMANDIE
The duty crew of the 'Romandie' noticed four perpetrators attempting to enter the steering gear compartment, while the vessel was proceeding in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait in position 001 14 30.6 N, 104 01 19.2 E, on nov 3, 2021, at 5 p.m. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered. The perpetrators fled the vessel and escaped. Nothing was reported stolen. The incident was reported to the Singapore authorities. No further assistance was required, and the vessel continued its voyage to its next port of call, Vancouver, B.C., wth an ETA of Dec 2.