Danish navy kills Gulf of Guinea pirates

The Danish navy has killed four pirates and detained a number of others in the Gulf of Guinea.

The frigate Esbern Snare, which arrived in the region earlier this month to tackle piracy, had moved south of Nigeria in response to increased risk in that region. The crew of the frigate's helicopter spotted a fast-moving motorboat close to a number of commercial ships and dispatched Danish special forces.

After a brief exchange of gunfire, four of the eight men on the motorboat were dead and one was wounded. The survivors were detained on the Esbern Snare as their own vessel sank.

"[An] inter-ministerial working group will deal with what should happen to the pirates," the Danish defence ministry said.

The Danish government has been pushing hard to increase the safety of vessels in the Gulf of Guinea. In January 2021, it appointed a special representative for maritime security in the region in the wake of several attacks on Danish-owned vessels.

At the time, shipping association Bimco estimated that two helicopter-equipped frigates with robust anti-piracy mandates, along with a maritime patrol aircraft, would significantly deter pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

"On average, up to 30-40 Danish-operated ships sail through the Gulf of Guinea on a daily basis, and they transport goods for almost 10bn Danish kroner a year," said the country's defence ministry when it dispatched the Esbern Snare in October.

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has fallen this year. The most recent International Maritime Bureau report showed just nine ships were boarded in the second and third quarters of this year, compared with 24 in the fourth quarter of 2020. But the fourth and first quarters are often the time with the most attacks, and the region remains one of the most dangerous globally.

By John Ollett