TCG Giresun Saves Chinese owned merchant ship M/V Full City

[AKINCI]

The Panama flagged and Chinese owned merchant ship M/V Full City was attacked by Somali pirates yesterday (05.05.2011) morning. She was 400 nautical miles off the coast of India.

The Turkish frigate F-491 TCG Giresun, the nearest coalition warship was ordered to proceed and help the attacked merchant ship.

During the deployment TCG Giresun contacted the Chinese naval units in the region and received the information that the crew of M/V Full City was able to hide themselves inside a citadel before being captured by the pirates.
Upon arriving to M/V Full City, that was damaged by the rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire of the pirates, communication with the crew of the ship was established. Later the naval special forces teams of board of the Turkish frigate, fast-roped to the ship and secured her.

When the search revealed that there were no pirates on board, and all the crew was safe and sound M/V Full City continues her journey.

The deployment of TCG Giresun turned out to be a exciting one. This is the sixth occasion where the frigate had to intervene.

The damage of RPG fire is visible


According to influential naval blog Information Dissemination, a ASW patrol plane of Indian Navy scared the pirates on board of M/V Full City away, before the arrival of TCG Giresun.

An Indian Navy TU-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft made several low sorties over the MV Full City, 450 nautical miles (850 km) off Karwar in Karnataka, warning the pirates to immediately leave the vessel or face the wrath of Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships that were fast closing in.

The warnings worked and the pirates scampered into the skiff from which they had boarded the vessel and sailed toward a nearby mothership, which immediately set off toward Somalia at full speed, the official said, requesting anonymity due to service rules.

And as it seems, USN found the dhow used as mothership during the attack to M/V Full City and destroyed paraphernalia on the dhow, including weapons, excessive fuel and other equipment commonly used in the commission of acts of piracy. They also sank a small skiff towed by the dhow; these skiffs are often used for actual attacks and boardings by pirates.

Turkish naval special forces team with the Chinese crew