European Union anti-pirate units patrolling off the coast of Somalia have arrested seven Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The Greek and Spanish ships, part of the EU's Atalanta mission, prevented the pirates from seizing a German oil tanker. The pirate's vessel was fired on by a German frigate before Greek troops, backed up by a Spanish helicopter, seized the pirates.
Earlier this month, the German navy arrested nine pirates in the Gulf of Aden who were attempting to hijack a container ship.
Last year, Somali pirates attacked at least 130 merchant vessels, an increase of more than 200 percent over 2007. The European Union's Atalanta mission was launched last December to crack down on piracy in the seas around the Horn of Africa.
EU mission captures seven Somali pirates
30-03-2009
