Capture of Norwegian tanker foiled

Photo: www.frontline.bm

The Canadian navy’s HMCS Winnipeg helped foil a pirate attack on the 150,000 ton Norwegian-flagged tanker MV Front Ardenne in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday April 19. 

HMCS Winnipeg responded to an emergency call after seven Somali pirates approached the Norwegian tanker late Saturday night.

The American warship USS Halyburton and a British naval supply ship joined the Winnipeg in what became a seven-hour chase in the dark.

The two warships dispatched helicopters to keep track of the bandits and fired warning shots to stop them. The pirates stopped, but not before dumping most of their weapons overboard. The pirates were then apprehended and searched, but later released.

HMCS Winnipeg is one of about 20 warships deployed by members of NATO, the European Union and big exporting nations such as China and India to patrol the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest trade routes.

Source: Theglobeandmail.com