MV Powerful explained
The
MV Powerful is a Danish-
flagged cargo ship owned by Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. of Greece. It was attacked with the intention of
hijack by
Somali pirates using
assault rifles on 11 November 2008 in the
Gulf of Aden off the
Horn of Africa. Its capture was thwarted by the
Royal Marines of the British
frigate,, as well as the crew of a Russian .
[1] The 11 November 2008 incident off Somalia's coast occurred 60nmi south of the Yemeni coast, in the Gulf of Aden. The pirates approached the vessel in a dhow, but were repelled by helicopters from the British and possibly Russian ships. The dhow was later detected by the Cumberland, and a unit of Royal Marines gave chase in a rigid craft. The pirates fired upon the Marines; the Marines returned fire and killed two pirates. The remaining pirates surrendered and one additional pirate died of injuries sustained in the conflict. The engagement was attributed to Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa and was described by The Times as "the first time the Royal Navy had been engaged in a fatal shoot-out on the high seas in living memory."[2]
See also
Notes and References
- News: Ship escapes pirate attack off Somalia, Russia says. November 20, 2008. cnn.com. 2008-11-21.
- News: Crilly . Rob . Evans, Michael . Royal Navy in firefight with Somali pirates . . 2008-11-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081123234848/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5141745.ece . dead . 23 November 2008 . 2008-11-14.
