Action of 7 September 2009
| Action of 7 September 2009 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Atalanta | |||||||
 Brandenburg at anchor, 31 July 2013 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany | Somali pirates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Torsten Ites | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1 frigate 1 helicopter | 1 skiff | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None |
1 killed 4 captured 1 skiff captured | ||||||
The action of 7 September 2009 took place when the
, after suspicious activity was spotted on the small vessel by the frigate's helicopter during a reconnaissance mission. The boat was disabled by gunfire, and one suspect from her crew was killed. Four individuals were captured and weaponry confiscated and eventually destroyed.Background
The German Navy became involved in Operation Atalanta on 19 December 2008, when the Bundestag approved the German naval presence in the Horn of Africa both to support World Food Programme supply ships and to combat piracy.[1]
Brandenburg began her mission on 29 June 2009, under the command of Fregattenkapitän Torsten Ites. In August, she assisted the crew of the container ship MV Hansa Stavanger when the vessel was released at Mombasa, Kenya, by Somali pirates who had captured her four months before.[2]
Action
On 7 September Brandenburg launched a
rigid-hulled inflatable boat took control of the crew and seized a number of weapons. One of the suspects was injured by gunfire during the incident, and later died of his wounds onboard Brandenburg while receiving medical treatment.[3][4] This was the first fatality caused by the Bundeswehr in the course of Operation Atalanta.[5] The weaponry found on board the skiff was later destroyed.[6]
Aftermath
The German Navy eventually released the four surviving suspects. The body of the suspect killed in the action was handed back to his relatives in
International Red Cross. The Bundeswehr decided not to extradite the men to Kenya after being advised by Operation Atalanta's headquarters that the men's conviction after the trial was not granted.[5] At the time there was a deal with Kenya to judge in that country any act of piracy committed in the Indian Ocean, but on a case-by-case basis.[7] Therefore, as the attack did not affect German interests, the skiff crewmembers were left in a craft within sight of the Somali coast.[5]
Notes
- ^ Antrag der Bundesregierung zur Beteiligung deutscher Streitkräfte an der EU-geführten Operation Atalanta, Bundestagsdrucksache 16/11337 vom 10. Dezember 2008 (in German)
- ^ EU NAVFOR ship BRANDENBURG leads HANSA STAVANGER safely into Mombasa
- ^ German frigate kills suspected pirate off Somalia AFP, 7 September 2009
- ^ German Navy kills pirate suspect Marine Log, 8 September 2009
- ^ Deutsche Press-Agentur, 16 September 2009
- ^ Suspected pirates released by EU NAVFOR Archived 2 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine 14 September 2009
- ^ The EU fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa European External Action Service, p. 2