The Incomplete Details of MV Irene SL

I was looking for this three weeks ago, but sometime between then and now a PAO published the tale. This is a strange pirate story, unlike others we have seen.

USS Halyburton (FFG 40), part of NATO’s counter-piracy Task Force 508, rescued 13 people from the Greek flagged merchant vessel Irene SL while conducting maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean on March 19.

Irene, a pirated vessel being used as a mothership, had a suspected pirate on board in need of urgent medical assistance.

Using bridge-to-bridge communications, the suspected pirates on board Irene contacted Halyburton to request immediate medical assistance.

Halyburton maneuvered to assist the man and requested the suspected pirates release hostages, to which the suspected pirates agreed.

While being transferred to Halyburton for treatment, the injured man stopped breathing. Despite the best efforts of Halyburton’s medical team, he could not be resuscitated.

The body was returned to Irene and 13 hostages were released.

The rescued hostages were transferred to Halyburton where they received food, water and medical attention.

Irene was pirated last month approximately 350 nautical miles South East of Muscat in the North Arabian Sea.

Halyburton is part of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, a multinational counter-piracy task force operating off the Horn of Africa.

But wait - there were 25 hostages on MV IRENE SL, not 13. This is a strange story confused by the offering of some details, but lacking in full disclosure.

It looks like the US Navy traded the effort of providing medical assistance to a pirate (an that effort failed when the pirate died) and was able to secure the release of more than half (13 of 25) hostages in the process. Last Thursday EUNAVFOR announced that MV Irene SL had been freed, although it is unclear how.

The celebration of the release of 25 hostages is odd though, considering the USS Halyburton (FFG 40) had apparently already freed 13 of them?

Somali piracy is such a strange issue to follow, because I get better information about Chinese military affairs than I do western Naval operations against piracy. I can get up to the hour intelligence on Somali pirate activity from numerous sources, but whenever something good happens it takes forever and we are only informed to bits and pieces of the story. The Danes are the same way, here is today's big news item about an action by Danish commando's that actually took place on April 2nd.

In other pirate news, a German, a Seychelles, and a Thai ship was released, and the UN has finally decided it is a good idea to think about a new legal process specific to piracy. The British appear to be ready for that, because after this latest disclosure the Royal Navy is talking about changing their Rules of Engagement.

Meanwhile, lots of attacks reported over the last week - the monsoon season is over.