Navy captures nine pirates off Somalia

Monday, October 21, 2013

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A crack Australian Navy team has boarded boats off the Somali coast and captured nine pirates.

The team from HMAS Melbourne tracked down the pirate skiffs after reports that two separate merchant vessels had been targeted by pirates.

The team from the Australian-guided missile frigate approached and boarded the skiffs last Tuesday, about 500 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.

HMAS Melbourne Commander Brian Schlegel said the boarding party were highly trained and knew how to take control of pirate skiffs.

The pirates were taken aboard HMAS Melbourne and the skiffs and equipment found there was destroyed.

HMAS Melbourne was acting as on-scene commander for a multi-national search operation, under the Combined Task Force 151.

Defence says the nine pirates are being returned to Somalia.

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