The Russian Baltic Fleet’s escort ship Neustrashimy and the British HMS frigate Cumberland repelled a pirate attack on a Danish vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday according to Itar-Tass.
The Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief’s information aide, captain 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said the report from the Neustrashimy had been received by the Main Staff of the Russian Navy.
The pirates had fired at the Danish vessel Powerful from automatic weapons and made two attempted to seize it. The Russian and British ships repelled the attack.
A Ka-27 helicopter lifted off from the Neustrashimy and a Lynx helicopter from the Cumberland.
The Neustrashimy is escorting several ships in the area, including CEC COMMANDER owned by a Danish firm and flying the Bahamas flag, and the Stena Provence under the Bermuda flag.
Prior to that, the Neustrashimy ensured the security of Russian ships off Horn of Africa.
“Our patrol ship will accomplish its mission in the Somali territorial waters and other perilous areas of the Arabian Sea. It will provide safe navigation of only those vessels that fly the Russian flag. The protection will not be given to foreign vessels that have Russian crewmembers, including the Ukrainian ship Faina seized by Somali pirates. It is not planned to engage the Neustrashimy in the Faina release; at least not now,” a source at the Russian Defence Ministry said earlier.
Another Russian warship will replace the Neustrashimy patrol ship offshore Somalia in December, the source said.
“Once the Neustrashimy completes its mission, it will be replaced with another warship of our Navy. We have not decided which fleet, the Baltic or the Black Sea, will assign the warship. That is not important. Yet it is important that Russia will not stop fighting piracy offshore Somalia with the end of the Neustrashimy mission. The patrolling team will be rotated,” the source said.
“The Neustrashimy will be on duty until the end of November and return to base, Baltiisk, when a new patrol ship arrives,” he said.
Somali authorities permitted the Russian ship to act in their territorial waters, which makes the mission easier.
“Our naval vessel is currently near the Horn of Africa, in the east of the African continent, and it monitors the Somalia pirates' activity,” he said. “Our men keep contact with the naval anti-terrorist group operating in accordance with the U.N. Security Council's resolution,” Dygalo said.
The Neustrashimy is a patrol ship of 1154 series. It is a multifunctional vessel capable of anti-sub, anti-ship and anti-aircraft support. The ship carries the Vodopad-NK missile and torpedo system and has the displacement of over 4,000 tonnes. Its navigation range is about 3,000 miles. The ship has a crew of 210. It has marine and commando units onboard.
At the moment the 150th coalition group of NATO combat ships, including one French vessel, one Canadian and three U.S. ships, is in the Gulf of Aden.
Somali pirates have attacked 70 ships since January 1. Currently they demand ransoms for eleven captured ships and more than 200 hostages.
Meanwhile, the Russian Baltic Fleet has dispatched another ship, Yelnya, to join the escort ship Neustrashimy in patrolling the area.
“The command of the Russian combat ship maintain contact with NATO's naval task force ships stationed in the region in order to coordinate efforts against sea piracy,” Dygalo said.
“If pirates attempt to attack Russian ships, the Neustrashimy crew is prepared to use force in accordance with the relevant U.N. documents,” Dygalo said.
He also stressed, “The Russian combat ships to be sent to the Gulf of Aden in the future and adjacent areas will be guided in its activities, including the use of weapons, by the U.N. Charter and instructions.”
The tanker Yelnya left Baltiisk for Somalia on October 14 to supply the Neustrashimy with fuel, water and ammunition. The tanker is carrying Marines armed with light and heavy firearms for protection from pirates if they try to attack the ship.