On 27 October 2009 a French Fishing Vessel was attacked by pirates in two attack skiffs. Her embarked military Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) fired warning shots after which the pirates finally broke of their attack.
The EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Karlsruhe was ordered to set course to the attack position. Simultaneously, the helicopter of EU NAVFOR Spanish warship ESPS Canarias, also on anti-piracy patrol, was launched and relocated two fast attack skiffs trying to flee the area of the attack.
The helicopter fired warning shots to stop both skiffs, after which the pirates stopped and were seen throwing items, presumably pirate paraphernalia, overboard. On arrival of Karlsruhe her boarding team secured both skiffs and took into custody seven persons they found onboard. The seven suspected pirates detained on board the EU NAVFOR warship Karlsruhe have now been transferred to Kenya for the appropriate legal procedure in accordance with the agreement between the EU and Kenya.
The FGS Karlsruhe takes part in the EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA. The main tasks of Operation ATALANTA are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.