NAIROBI, Kenya — Special forces on a Portuguese warship seized explosives from suspected Somali pirates after thwarting an attack on an oil tanker, but later freed the 19 men. Hours later and hundreds of miles away, another band of pirates hijacked a cargo ship, a NATO spokesman said Saturday.
Pirates are now holding 17 ships and about 300 crew, including the Greek-owned cargo ship Ariana, hijacked overnight with its Ukrainian crew.
The attack on the Ariana, about 1,000 miles from the sea corridor NATO guards and the seizure of explosives from the group that attacked the crude oil tanker MV Kition may indicate the pirates are adapting their tactics as crews become better trained in counterpiracy measures.
It was the first time NATO forces found pirates armed with raw explosives, Lt. Cmdr. Fernandes said from the Portuguese frigate which responded to the attack.
They found four sticks of P4A dynamite — which can be used in demolition, blasting through walls or breaching a the hull of a ship — which were destroyed along with four rifles and nine rocketpropelled grenades.
by the associated press
Pirates are now holding 17 ships and about 300 crew, including the Greek-owned cargo ship Ariana, hijacked overnight with its Ukrainian crew.
The attack on the Ariana, about 1,000 miles from the sea corridor NATO guards and the seizure of explosives from the group that attacked the crude oil tanker MV Kition may indicate the pirates are adapting their tactics as crews become better trained in counterpiracy measures.
It was the first time NATO forces found pirates armed with raw explosives, Lt. Cmdr. Fernandes said from the Portuguese frigate which responded to the attack.
They found four sticks of P4A dynamite — which can be used in demolition, blasting through walls or breaching a the hull of a ship — which were destroyed along with four rifles and nine rocketpropelled grenades.
by the associated press
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