by Patrick Boniface

Created on: January 11, 2011   Last Updated: January 12, 2011

Whilst not wanting to praise Somali pirates operating in the Indian Ocean, you have to admire their bravery or downright stupidity to attempt to take on a modern Spanish warship bristling as it is with the very latest high tech weaponry, radar and sensors in little more than some ramshackled old boats and a previously hijacked ship. This, however, is exactly what happened as brave or stupid Somali pirates stared down the barrels of a Spanish warship.

The incident started as night had fallen on November 6, 2010 whilst the Spanish warship SPS Infanta Christina was escorting the MV Petra 1 off the Somali coast. The MV Petra 1 had been chartered by the African Union Military Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to deliver desparately needed medical and food supplies as part of the World Food Programme. Under cover of darkness the Somali pirates attacked utilising an old previously hijacked ship called the MV Izumi, taken on October 10, 2010, as a base. In addition to the pirates onboard were hostages including the ships crew members.

As the MV Izumi closed on the position of the MV Petra 1, the Spanish warship quickly increased speed and maneouvred herself between her charge and the approaching vessel. SPS Infanta Christina repeatedly requested the ships identity but was met with static on the radio raising the fear that the approaching ship could be a threat to the AMISOM ship.

Upon meeting the MV Izumi, the Spanish warship was greeted with gunfire from the Somali pirates onboard. Much of the gunfire was sporadic and haphazard and did not cause any significant damage to the warship. This was the first time that a warship on the piracy patrol in the Indian Ocean had come under fire and seems to mark a significantly increased desperation on the half of the pirates to snatch any vessel operating lawfully in the waters. The Commander of the Spanish warship showed great restraint in dealing with the pirates firing accurate single shots only when absolutely necessary so as not to cause alarm or the possibility of injuring or killing any of the hostages held onboard the MV Izumi.

The Spanish actions saw the hijacked vessel driven off with the pirates fleeing the scene without having successfully snared another innocent merchant vessel. After the incident SPS Infanta Christina returned to escort the MV Petra 1 onto Mogadishu where the food and medical supplies so desperately needed in the region were successfully unloaded.

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