The European Union scored a major success on Thursday, 12 November, when the French warship Floreal tracked down and apprehended the pirate attack group responsible for the recently reported attacks against the Singaporean large crude oil tanker MV BW Lion, 500 miles northwest of the Seychelles. This was reported as the furthest any vessel had been attacked from the Somali coast by pirates. You can read more about the event here.
The operation entailed the use of intelligence to cue search assets, the use of a long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and a high-endurance, patrol-type warship. Hunting for small ships in an area that is over 350,000 square nautical miles is proving to be a cost-intensive operation.
