Rear Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave: Operational Commander, EU Naval Force Somalia

摘要

Three weeks after moving their operational headquarters (OHQ) from the United Kingdom to Spain, senior officers of EU Naval Force (NAVFOR) Somalia became aware of a developing situation in waters that had previously escaped the attention of the pirate gangs whose predatory activities have long blighted maritime trade off the Horn of Africa (HoA). Unconfirmed reports on 19 April claimed that armed men had seized a Yemeni fishing dhow, Al Azham. Further inquiries indicated that the pirates then sailed northwards along the Somali coast and embarked a number of accomplices before heading into the Indian Ocean. Two days later, shipping industry reporting channels stated that two fishing vessels had been pursued by skiffs 280 n miles from shore, with the aggressors firing a rocket-propelled grenade as their intended prey increased speed and performed evasive manoeuvres.