15.03.2010
Russian servicemen extradited seven arrested pirates to coastguard of self-declared state of Somaliland on Saturday, reports France-Presse referring to source in Somaliland security agencies.
According to Mohamed Yusuf Otor, Somaliland coastguard commander, pirates were apprehended in the Gulf of Aden about two weeks ago; after investigation they will face trial.
It was previously reported in media that Baltic Fleet's (BF) frigate
Neustrashimy arrested seven pirates attempted to capture Slovenian vessel
Ariella on Feb 5.
The first Russian warship deployed for counter-piracy mission was
Neustrashimy. She had been performing tasks on enhancing navigation security there since Oct 2008 till Jan 2009. In January 2009 the frigate was shifted by Pacific Fleet's large ASW ship
Admiral Vinogradov; she had been taking part in anti-piracy mission until March 2009. In April
Admiral Vinogradov was changed by large ASW ship
Admiral Panteleev returned back to Vladivostok in June. After that the watch in the Gulf of Aden since July till Oct was kept by large ASW ship
Admiral Tributs. On Nov 16 she returned to Vladivostok. Northern Fleet's large ASW ship
Admiral Chabanenko undertook anti-piracy task on Dec 1, 2009. Late Jan 2010 she took over the watch to
Neustrashimy which will be shifted by the fourth Pacific Fleet's task unit consisting of large ASW ship
Marshal Shaposhnikov, ocean-going salvage tug, and tanker
Pechenga.
In 2009 Somali pirates carried out 217 attacks; 47 vessels were hijacked and 867 crewmembers were taken hostage.
Piracy emerged off Somalia as a consequence of civil war, poverty and impossibility to find legal job in this country. Since 1991 Somalia has not effective centralized power. Over 20,000 have been killed and 1.5 mln people have become homeless in Somalia since the beginning of 2007. Dozens of warships from over 15 countries has been deployed for anti-piracy missions at the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean since late 2008.
Source: RusNavy.com, photo: BF frigate Neustrashimy (dailymail.co.uk)
