BRUSSELS, April 15 () –
Operation 'Atalanta', the EU naval mission that fights piracy in the Indian Ocean, confirmed this Monday the release of the 23 crew members of the Bangladeshi freighter 'Abdullah' kidnapped approximately a month ago.
In a statement, the EU military operation led by Spain indicates that it was the first actor to respond to the hijacking of the ship on March 12, and has participated in the monitoring work during the 32 days of captivity.
The operator of the commercial ship reported last Saturday that the ship and its crew were heading to Dubai after leaving the Somali coast earlier in the day. Subsequently, the Somali semi-autonomous region of Puntland confirmed the arrest of at least eight alleged pirates involved in the boarding of the cargo ship.
Following this action, operation 'Atalanta', launched by the EU in 2008 to prevent pirate attacks against European ships off the coast of Somalia, has emphasized its “role as a key actor in maritime security, providing a timely response and effective to any security alert.
