Danish and Turkish warships foil attempted pirate attack off Yemen

The Danish warship and Turkish frigate, both part of a multinational task force, sent helicopters to assist the Vietnamese ship under attack by alleged pirates, who then fled the scene.

The Vietnamese ship Saturday reported that it was under attack from two fast-moving skiffs with an unknown number of pirates on board.

The March 14 incident about 50 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Al Mukalla was the first anti-piracy engagement for the Turkish frigate TCG Giresun, which joined the allied fleet in the region two weeks ago.

The Giresun and the Danish warship HDMS Absalon responded to an emergency call warning that the cargo vessel, the M/V Diamond Falcon, was under attack from two pirate skiffs.

The warships are part of Task Force 151, which also includes U.S. and British ships. They share anti-piracy operations in the area with Atalanta, a five-frigate fleet sent last December by the European Union.

Around 15 countries have sent warships to the waters in the area after Somali pirates attacked 165 ships last year, seizing 43 of them for ransom. In February, just one vessel was seized out of the 11 attacked and no ship has been seized so far this month.

Russia, China, Malaysia, and India sent ships on their own to conduct convoys for their nation’s ships.