A chat with the swashbuckling members of EUNAVFOR, the EU anti-piracy team.

It is a coincidence that our counter-piracy feature is running just as news broke that the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama has suffered a second attack in the Gulf of Aden. That name is probably familiar to many readers as its last encounter with Somali pirates became a highly televised event when the hijackers succeeded in getting aboard, took Capt. Richard Phillips hostage and held him five days before Navy Seals rescued him, killing three of the four captors. (The fourth was arrested and transferred to New York, where he's now under indictment.)

What happened this time, however, illustrates how wise shipping companies are adapting to the threat in the Gulf of Aden and, increasingly beyond. Now the Maersk Alabama travels with its own armed security force (which is very controversial tactic — one I might write about separately, if there's interest!), so when pirates tried to board the ship again early this morning, they were repelled with small-arms fire and acoustic devices that emit an ear-piercing noise.

EUNAVFOR Cmdr John Harbour called it "pure chance" the Maersk Alabama was attacked twice, but said it was not the only ship to have been targeted more than once. A ship and helicopter were immediately dispatched to try to find the group of four pirates who staged the attack.

I thought readers might be interested in hearing how the EUNAVFOR team in Northwood reacts when it gets word — or rather a call — that a suspected hijacking is taking place. Here's part of a conversation I had with Cmdr Adam Peters when I visited EUNAVFOR's operations center.

GlobalPost: What's a typical story you hear from ships calling in?

Cmdr Adam Peters: "They’ve got a skiff that’s approaching them, firing shots at them possibly, or that they’re actually trying to get up the side with a ladder or grappling hooks or whatever. In that situation, we can advise them on what kinds of maneuvers they can take — though they should already know that — and we can also alert any naval vessels that we’ve got in the area that might be able to go and render assistance.

"Typically, the fastest way for a ship to render assistance is to launch its helicopter so they can get there very rapidly, depending on the distance of course, and do whatever’s required to deter the pirates."

By the time the pirates are alongside the ship, isn't it kind of late?

"It depends. It’s possible for a well-handled merchant ship to make it so difficult for the pirates to get on board that they actually give up. Typically, if they haven’t managed to get on board within 30 to 35 minutes from the start of their attack, they’ll give up.

"In successful attacks, they’re usually on board within about five to 10 minutes of actually making their approach and it all depends on the type of the vessel, the size of the vessel and the speed of the vessel."

And do the pirates only decide once they get on board whether this will be a ship they try to keep or just take the loot?

"It’s in their interest to take the ship and hold it for ransom because that way they make big money. What they would be able to take off the ship itself and put into a small vessel at sea would be so small that it’s really not worth their while doing it, frankly. But if that’s all they can get, that’s what they do. But typically, they will take the vessel, control it and then they’ll take it off to their various anchorages off the coast of Somalia where they’ll hold it until such a time as they can negotiate a decent ransom.

"It doesn’t mean they won’t rifle the ship... "

How does everyone here in the ops center get notified that something's happening?

"You see the guy sitting over there? He’ll be the first one to find out, either from a phone call or from something that’s appeared on his internet screen and he will just bring it to the attention of his assistant who sits over there... also the coordinator who sits behind him and anyone else who’s around to just be aware there’s an attack going on and then go into action and start collecting information, alerting the ships at sea if they need to be and making sure that everyone who needs to know knows and that we’ve got the newest information we can get from our sources."

 Funny that you do this from here.

"It’s not a lot like being at sea, is it. And the weather’s a lot better in the Gulf of Aden…"

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/europe/091118/eunavfor-battling-pirates-at-sea