Suspected pirates en-route to Spain

On October 24th, 2012, a vessel of the European Union Naval Force, ESPS Castilla, arrested six possible pirates from Somalia. The arrests occurred 120 nautical miles off the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden. The pirates reportedly attempted to hijack a Spanish tuna fishing ship named the FV Izurdia. A Central Court in Spain ordered their transfer back to the western European country.

The pirates had been captured by HNLMS Rotterdam, the flagship of NATO Operation Ocean Shield, after an unsuccessful attempt to seize the Spanish fishing vessel. After being held on the HNLMS Rotterdam, they were transported via helicopter to the Spanish ship, where arrangements were made for their transfer back to the Spanish mainland. They are currently understood to be en route.