Digital News Report – The US Navy warship USS Nicholas was reported to have sank a skiff and captured a pirate mothership in the Indian Ocean west of Seychelles in international waters. This occurred on March 31st.
The pirate ship fired at the USS Nicholas around 1227 local time. The Navy returned fire and sank the mother skiff.
The personnel from the USS Nicholas boarded the skiff to capture three suspected pirates. They also captured two more possible pirates on the suspected pirate mother ship. The suspected pirates will remain on the USS Nicholas until they determine what the next step is.
In order to protect the seas from pirates, the CTF 151 was established in January of 2009 which is a multi-national task force whose goal is to conduct counter-piracy operations. In their efforts they hope to disrupt and reduce the pirates activities for safer seas worldwide. The Navy reports that the CTF 151 is part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) which “patrols more than 2.5 million square miles of international waters working to defeat terrorism, prevent piracy, reduce illegal trafficking of people and drugs, and promote the maritime environment as a safe place for mariners with legitimate business.”