Spanish frigate destroys pirate base off Somali coast

27.04.2010 The Spanish frigate Victoria destroyed a floating pirate base near the coast of Somalia. This was reported by the press service of the Naval Forces of the European Union which is leading the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. On April 25 the helicopter frigate discovered a pirate ship and two boats. The helicopter crew noticed a lot of barrels of fuel, ladders, hooks and other equipment used to capture the ocean transports, and nothing for fishing on the base. An inspection team from the Victoria landed on the base and rounded up all the pirates who were placed in one boat and sent to the coast of Somalia. Then the base and the boats were destroyed. A day earlier, the Danish navy ship Johan de Witt also prevented attacks on ships. The ship detected a whaler, being prepared to go out to sea. Five crew members of "whaling ship" were pirates and were sent ashore, the vessel itself was lifted aboard the ship. Over the past four days, the Danish navy intercepted two "whalers" suspected of piracy out on the high seas.