Spain foils pirates' plans

2008-10-29 16:33

Madrid - A Spanish maritime patrol aircraft prevented pirates from attacking an oil tanker in the troubled waters of the Gulf of Aden, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The P-3 Orion aircraft received a call for help from the crew of the Panama-flagged Leander on Tuesday who said pirates on two boats were trying to board their vessel when it was about 210km north of the coast of Somalia, it said.

"To deter the pirates, the plane flew over the hostile boats three times and launched a smoke bomb at them each time," the statement said.

"After the third launch, the crew of the P-3 noticed that the boats gave up their attempt to board and separated themselves from the oil tanker," it added.

The aircraft was on a routine patrol of the area when it received the call for help.

Spain dispatched the aircraft and a crew of 90 soldiers to Djibouti last month to collect information on the movement of pirate ships in the area as part of European Union efforts to boost security there.

The waters off Somalia, including the Gulf of Aden, are the world's most dangerous, accounting for 63 of the 199 reported pirate attacks worldwide so far this year, the International Maritime Bureau said last week.

A fleet of 30 Spanish tuna trawlers operates in the waters near Somalia.

In April, the 26 crew members of the Spanish fishing vessel Playa de Bakio were released after being held for six days.

The government has not confirmed reports that the pirates were paid a ransom of $1.2m.

- AFP