Operation ‘Atalanta’ rescues a Liberian-flagged cargo ship attacked by Somali pirates

May 24. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Operation ‘Atalanta’, the EU naval mission that fights against piracy in the Indian Ocean, this Friday freed the Liberian-flagged cargo ship ‘Basilisk’ and its 17 crew members from an attack carried out yesterday by a group of Somali pirates while it was transiting through the Indian Ocean.

The cargo ship was attacked while sailing about 380 nautical miles (about 700 kilometers) east of the coast of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, heading north.

In a night operation, forces from Operation ‘Atalanta’ boarded the freighter from a helicopter in an operation that resulted in an injured crew member, who immediately received medical attention and is now stabilized.

The cargo ship is now under the protection of another vessel in the EU operation.

‘Atalanta’ was launched by the European Union in 2008 to prevent pirate attacks against European ships off the coast of Somalia. It is currently led by Spain, which has the frigate ‘Victoria’ deployed in the area as part of the European Naval Force (Eunavfor, for its acronym in English).