Crew in safety

Pirates attack German freighter off Somalia

Pirates briefly captured a freighter from Hamburg (pictured) off the East African country of Somalia.(Bild: EUNAVFOR)

Pirates have hijacked a freighter from Hamburg off the East African country of Somalia. According to the EU naval operation Atalanta, the incident occurred on Thursday evening in the Indian Ocean around 700 kilometers east of the Somali capital Mogadishu.

A warship of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) patrolling nearby had rushed to the ship's aid and freed the Liberian-flagged multi-purpose freighter "Basilisk".

One crew member was slightly injured
The 17 crew members are safe, the command of Operation Atalanta, a multinational mission of the European Union to protect humanitarian aid supplies to Somalia that has been in existence since 2008, announced on Friday in Rota, Spain. One crew member was injured in the attack, but is in a stable condition.

The approximately 160-metre-long cargo ship belongs to the Hamburg-based Minship shipping company. According to the Atalanta command, it was heading north at the time of the attack. After the warship arrived, marines abseiled onto the freighter from a helicopter (see left-hand image in the post above).

A warship of the European Union Naval Force patrolling nearby (in the foreground) rushed to the freighter's aid.(Bild: EUNAVFOR)

Pirate attacks are frequent in this sea area. The multinational naval mission Atalanta has been patrolling the area since 2008 to secure the important shipping route.