Spanish warship foils pirate attack on Norwegian tanker: EU

(BRUSSELS) - A Spanish warship foiled an attack on a Norwegian chemical tanker on Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden, holding seven suspected Somali pirates pending possible prosecution, EU naval forces said.

A pirate skiff shot at the bridge of the MV Bow Saga, which responded with water hoses to prevent the assailants climbing aboard, before a helicopter from the SPS Victoria managed to intervene, a statement said.

"The pirates stopped the attack and tried to flee," NAVFOR forces said. "After warning shots, first from the helicopter and then from the warship, the pirates eventually stopped and the skiff was searched by a boarding team. Weapons were subsequently found on the skiff."

A spokesman subsequently suggested that prosecution was not cut and dried, saying: "The seven are being held on the skiff. We have standard procedures to follow. The first thing is to capture the boat and then decide if they are to be prosecuted.

"We are working on it," he underlined, adding that the pirates could be taken to Kenya or could also be prosecuted in the country of the ship's owners, in this case Norway.