The minelayer Pohjanmaa, the flagship of the Finnish Navy, currently taking part in Operation Atalanta, the EU's military action to protect vulnerable vessels cruising off the Somali coast and to deter and prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery in the region, has apparently captured a support vessel containing suspected pirates.
It was necessary to fire warning shots in the incident.
Reports so far indicate that the seizure of the vessel took place early on Wednesday morning, some 500 kilometres south-east from Salalah in Oman.
The suspected pirates were aboard a vessel that was towing two smaller boats behind it.
The vessel attempted to escape, at which point the Pohjanmaa fired a volley of warning shots to deter the crew.
The vessel was found to contain eighteen persons believed to be pirates.
A detachment from the Pohjanmaa found material on the captured vessel that is in keeping with that used in piracy on the high seas. Other items had apparently been thrown overboard during the initial chase. No information was given of what particular objects were discovered, but it is thought likely they were weapons.
The minelayer remains on station, attempting to determine the nature of the crew-members.
The Finnish warship arrived in the waters off the Yemen and Oman coast and in the Gulf of Aden in February on a three-month mission.
This story is developing, and we will return to the subject in tomorrow's edition.
