Marshal Shaposhnikov Captures Pirates

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA (GaeaTimes.com)- Thursday dawn turned out to be a devastating one for a group of Somali Pirates who were overpowered by a Russian special force troop who were air-dropped from an helicopter. The troops landed on the hijacked oil tanker after a helicopter sent by the warship Marshal Shaposhnikov backfired on the Somali pirates and was able to overpower them and save the lives of 23 crew members along with the multi-million worth of oil tanker.

The action by the warship Marshal Shaposhnikov took place hours after the tank was hijacked by the Somali pirates a day before. On Wednesday the Somali Pirates hijacked the tanker along with 23 crew members and a cargo which is reportedly worth $52 million. The Russian troop landed on the deck of the hijacked tanker and was able to capture 10 pirates. The Russian investigators on Thursday said that arrangements are being made to bring the ten captured pirates to Moscow for prosecution. The authorities also reported that one of the pirates was actually killed by the troop and most of the 10 captured are injured. The Pirates have captured the China-bound MV Moscow University.

The European Union’s naval force on Thursday said that the Russian warship Marshal Shaposhnikov had played a major role in the early dawn combat. It said that a helicopter was sent by the warship which backfired when it was attacked by the Somali pirates. However, it is not for the first time this season that the Somali pirates have captured a cargo ship. The capture once again points to the vulnerability of the trading ships. There has been an increase in the number of Pirate ships despite the attempts made by the European Union’s naval force to curb it.