It is undoubtedly the current hotspot when it comes to the widespread problem of regional piracy: the Gulf of Guinea! This time the agencies are reporting that the Danish frigate ESBERN SNARE of the ABSALON class, which has officially been in these waters for a month to protect Danish cargo ships, was involved in an incident a few days ago.
Deadly firefight
Following a recent warning, the deployed SeaHawk boarding helicopter made rapid contact in the shipping lane area off the coast of Ghana and discovered eight crew members with pirate-owned equipment on board. The RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat), which was sent out with a boarding team, was suddenly targeted with gunfire when it attempted to stop the alleged pirate boat for inspection by firing shots at the bow in accordance with the rules. The Danes' response in self-defence was clear: four people were taken into custody, one of whom was injured. However, four other people were spared trial in Copenhagen for attempted murder - they were fatally shot during the exchange of fire. The pirate boat is also no longer afloat.
Political appreciation
It is probably no coincidence that the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, is currently in Ghana on the Gulf of Guinea. At a press conference hastily convened in the host country, she regretted the dangerous situation in the sea area off the west coast of Africa and praised the courageous intervention of the frigate crew, which resulted in no casualties or injuries. A court in the Danish capital immediately ordered that the arrested men be remanded in custody.
Interesting facts about the ship and EU pilot case
Esbern Snare, who gave his name to the Danish frigate, was one of the leading political figures in the 12th century alongside the Danish King Waldemar I. The two ships of the ABSALON class, which were initially designed as combat support units and were somewhat large at 6,000 tonnes and equipped with an aft ro-ro ramp, capacity for several StanFlex containers and a reinforced helicopter deck, are regarded as the blueprint for the much better-known frigates of the IVER HUITFELDT class (from 2012). From the end of 2004 until recently, they also bore the classification letter L (L 16/L 17) in front of the hull number. However, ESBERN SNARE has entered the EU pilot case with a new frigate classification as F 342, as the video shows. To this end, at the end of January this year, the Council of the EU designated the Gulf of Guinea as a "maritime area of interest" in its conclusions and adopted the recommendation to "launch the pilot case on the concept of coordinated maritime presences in the Gulf of Guinea". A coordination cell to be set up between the EU and the regional maritime security structures is to support the EU pilot case.
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