October 28, 2007 incident off Somalia

Infobox Military Conflict


caption=Skiff burning after taking 25 mm rounds
conflict= October 28, 2007 incident off Somalia
partof=the Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa
date=October 28, 2007
place=Gulf of Aden, off Socotra
result= United States victory
Pirates release all captured vessels
combatant1=flagcountry|United States
combatant2=Somali Pirates
strength1=2 destroyers
strength2=1 captured tanker
2 skiffs
casualties1=none
casualties2=2 skiffs sunk

The October 28, 2007 incident off Somalia was part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa, the military operation defined by the United States for combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa. [cite news|title=EUCOM: Operations and Initiatives|url=http://www.eucom.mil/english/Operations/main.asp|publisher=United States European Command|accessdate=2007-02-06] The operation is one component of the overall mission of Operation Enduring Freedom. The incident occurred when United States Navy units acted to interdict piracy in the region.

Background

:"See also: Piracy in Somalia"

After a decrease in piracy in the first half of 2007, Somali pirates rebounded and again started to increase their attacks on shipping off the coast of Somalia. On October 28, 2007, pirates hijacked the Japanese tanker the MV "Golden Nori", eight nautical miles (15 km) off the Somali coast. [cite news|first=Duncan|last=Miriri|title=Somali pirates hijack Japanese tanker-officials|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP305500|publisher=Reuters|date=2007-10-29|accessdate=2007-11-04]

Military confrontation

After receiving a distress call, the USS "Porter", an "Arleigh Burke"-class destroyer, arrived at the scene and attacked and sank two skiffs being towed by the tanker. The tanker's owner and operator, Dorval Kaiun Shipping, reported that its cargo consists of four kinds of chemicals, including highly flammable benzene. The United States Fifth Fleet spokesperson, Lydia Roberts, stated, "we were aware of what was on the ship when we fired". [cite web|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipMHyUWWbt0DgJ6MbFCi3HeMrqFwD8SK949O2|title=With US Help, Ship Crew Defeats Pirates|publisher=Associated Press via Google News|date=2007-10-31|accessdate=2007-10-31]

As the hijacked tanker continued underway, the "Porter's" sister ship USS "Arleigh Burke" received authorization from Somali authorities to pursue it. This is the first incident of Somali piracy where the United States Navy was given permission for pursuit within Somali territorial waters. The Navy continued to shadow the vessel through October and November, 2007. [cite news|first=Starr|last=Barbara | url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/10/29/somalia.pirates/index.html | title=U.S. warship sinks two pirate skiffs | publisher=CNN| publisher=Turner Broadcasting | date=2007-10-29|accessdate=2007-10-31] One of the crewmembers escaped the ship and made it to safety, angering the pirates and complicating the situation even further. In November negotiations started for the tanker's release, but by December 4 the "Golden Nori" had been cornered in the port of Bosasso by two American and one German ships. Coalition forces called on the pirates to surrender, threatening them with military force if the standoff continued. [cite web|url=http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL04568178.html|title=U.S. warships corner Somali pirates who seized ship|publisher=Reuters|date=2007-12-04|accessdate=2007-12-10] The pirates in return demanded one million dollars in ransom, saying if it was not paid they would kill all 21 members of the crew.Fact|date=December 2007 On December 12, the pirates left the vessel for the coast and set the crew free. [cite web|url=http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL12187866.html|title=Somali pirates leave Japan-owned ship, crew safe|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=2007-12-10] It is unclear as of yet if the pirates received their demanded ransom, or left simply because of the pressure applied by the Coalition.

imilar incident

Another hijacking in the same region occurred late on October 29 when gunmen attacked the North Korean freighter "Dai Hong Dan". A helicopter from the USS|James E. Williams|DDG-95, responding to a telephoned report of a hijacking, flew over the freighter on October 30 and radioed a demand for the attackers to surrender. The freighter's crew subsequently overwhelmed the gunmen, killing one and detaining the rest. With the permission of the freighter's crew, US Navy forces boarded the freighter to treat the wounded, which included three crewmen and three pirates. [cite news|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipMHyUWWbt0DgJ6MbFCi3HeMrqFwD8SK949O2|title=With US Help, Ship Crew Defeats Pirates|work=Associated Press|date=31 October 2007|accessdate=2007-11-01] This hijacking may not have been the work of indiscriminate area pirates; the hijackers are believed to be security guards hired by the freighter's shipping agent. [ [http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-30-voa14.cfm Voice of America News: North Korean Crew Overpowers Hijackers Off Somali Coast] ]

Aftermath

After the release of the Golden Nori, the US Navy started pressuring pirates on other vessels to release their captives and flee. Not to long after the release of the Golden Nori all other vessels were released some after US Vessels threatened to use force to remove the pirates on them. Some of the pirates fled without taking ransoms but it appears that at least some were indeed given ransom payments. US ships escorted the freed vessels out of Somali waters and provided assistance to the crews of those vessels. All vessels were freed and no vessel was captured by pirates for a matter of months after the release of the Nori allowing for a short period of peace along the coast.

References