In the early morning of Friday 19 September, EU Naval Force frigate, ESPS Navarra, came to the assistance of a stricken yacht in the Gulf of Aden.
The yacht had been detected on the warship’s radar in the early morning. ESPS Navarra’s Bridge team initially tried to hail the yacht via their VHF radio. After several attempts a member of the crew finally answered the call. He said that they were running very short on water and fuel, but still had some distance to travel in to the Indian Ocean.
This is the second time that the Spanish frigate has helped a yacht that has gotten into difficulties in less than two months.
ESPS Navarra’s Boarding Team was tasked by their commanding officer to launch and provide the much-needed water and fuel.
The Spanish crew then invited the master of the yacht to re-consider his route so that he would avoid sailing into waters where the piracy threat is still considered to be present.
The present combined threat assessment of International Naval counter-piracy forces is that all sailing yachts under their own passage should remain out of the High Risk Area (HRA) or face the risk of being hijacked and held hostage for ransom. Yachts remain extremely vulnerable to attack.
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Press Release, September 23, 2014; Image: EU NAVFOR