How Us Navy rescued Dar ship from pirates

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An SH-60B Seahawk helicopter disrupted two attempts to attack the vessel

By Bernard Lugongo

The Unites States Navy made a dramatic intervention to rescue a Tanzanian ship and seized eight of the marauding Somali pirates, who attempted to hijack the vessel on Sunday, it was revealed in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The American military, which is part of an international force fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean, rescued the Tanzanian vessel following a brazen confrontation with the pirates.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has become a nightmare for the shipping industry for several years now, with scores of vessels, including oil tankers overpowered and commandeered into hiding until hefty ransoms are paid.

Had the attack succeeded, this would have been the first vessel from Tanzania to be hijacked by the ransom seeking pirates, who have made hundreds of millions of dollars from their illegal activities along the war-ravaged country's coastline and beyond.

The American Embassy in Dar es Salaam broke the news of the Tanzanian ship's encounter with the Somali pirates in a press statement released yesterday.

According to the embassy, the suspects were seized during a counter attack and taken aboard a US warship patrolling the Indian Ocean.

The director of criminal investigation (DCI), Mr Robert Manumba, said his office was aware of the hijack attempt and was following up the matter. He promised to issue more information later.

A combat helicopter, SH-60B Seahawk, from the US warship, USS Farragut, fired shots at the pirates' speedboat to rescue the vessel and managed to arrest the suspected pirates.

According to the embassy, the Tanzanian flagged ship, mv Barakaale 1, had been attacked twice before the rescue team arrived. We could not immediately establish were vessel was heading to.

The US Navy said the crew of the Tanzanian vessel had successfully fought off the pirates in the Gulf of Aden before help arrived.

The team from the Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, responded after it was signaled for help from the international anti-pirate task force. This was immediately after the pirates tried to board the Tanzanian vessel from a skiff.

The helicopter took off the warship and gave chase to the pirate skiff, firing warning shots across its bow, thus bringing it to a halt. Sailors from the USS Farragut then boarded the pirate vessel and seized the eight men on board.

The SH-60B Seahawk is specifically built for the US Navy, based on the Blackhawk transport and assault helicopter, widely used by the American Army since the late 1980s.

Equipped with radar and leading edge Sonar equipment, the SH-60 is a safeguard against the underwater threat, providing anti-submarine protection for aircraft carriers, thanks to its latest generation armament of torpedoes and depth charges.

The Farragut is part of Combined Task Force 151, a multinational task force established in January 2009, to conduct counter piracy operations.

It operates under a mission based on a mandate to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.

It operates in the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Somalia, patrolling more than 8.6 million square kilometres of international waters to conduct both integrated and coordinated operations to increase the security in the region.

The embassy said the Combined Maritime Force was working to defeat terrorism, prevent piracy, reduce illegal trafficking of people and drugs, and promote the maritime environment as a safe place for those with legitimate business.

The force includes three dozen ships from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, Canada, Denmark, Turkey, the US and United Kingdom, as well as other naval forces and personnel from several other nations.

Although the number of piracy attempts has increased over the past year, the number of successful attacks has been reduced by 40 per cent over, according to the statement.