Seychelles accepts transfer of nine suspected pirates for trial |04 December 2013

The Ministry and Foreign Affairs and that of Home Affairs have agreed for Seychelles to prosecute nine suspected Somali pirates captured on the high seas by the Royal Danish Navy participating in the ATALANTA Operations against piracy in the region.

The nine suspected pirates were apprehended on November 10 after they attacked Danish Ship M/V  TORM KANSAS on the 9th. M/V TORM KANSAS retaliated, managed to repel their attacks and solicited back up from their base to arrest the attackers.

It was another Danish Navy Ship, HDMS ESBERN SNARE which was tasked to locate the position were the attack was reported on their colleagues.

After the capture of the suspected pirates, a whaler which was being used as mother ship by the suspects was destroyed whereas a skiff from which they were using to actually carry out their attacks has been seized for the purpose of investigation.

According to information collected the same nine suspects tried to attack Hong Kong Flagged M/V ZHONGJI NO1 on November 6 but armed security personnel on board retaliated and repelled their attacks.

The suspected pirates aged between 14 and 35 years old, together with their skiff, have been handed over to the Seychelles authority.