CORNWALL COUNTERS PIRATES
Today on patrol in the Indian Ocean, the Officer of the watch on board Royal Navy Warship CORNWALL spotted a Dhow acting suspiciously. Closer observation revealed the Dhow was towing two skiffs with a third on board.
A radio call with the South Korean merchant vessel Yong Jin, who was about 5 miles from the Dhow confirmed that there had been several people in a skiff, along with a ladder near them and they had feared an attack.
CORNWALL approached the Dhow and with her Lynx helicopter hovering above, seized the initiative and released her Royal Marine and Royal Navy boarding teams, who quickly boarded the Dhow and gained full control of the vessel and crew. An initial search confirmed over 20 people onboard, powerful outboard motors, AK47âs, a Grenade Launcher, Rocket Propelled Grenades and large amounts of ammunition.
HMS CORNWALLâS Commanding Officer, Commander David Wilkinson, Said â Our presence in the area has safeguarded an innocent merchant vessel on the high seas and my highly trained team have just conducted a very slick boarding operation which has ensured that this pirate vessel is no longer able to operate. This is the third success for CORNWALL in recent weeks and demonstrates the reassurance and security offered by our presence in these watersâ.
HMS CORNWALL is currently the Command Platform for the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151 being the counter-piracy mission of Combined Maritime Forces, a 25 nation coalition committed to maritime security throughout the Middle East).
Image Shows the Pirates with thier hands up as CORNWALL closed on them