Danish special forces stormed a ship captured by armed Somali pirates Friday and freed the 25 crew on board, an EU naval spokesman said, marking the first time a warship has intervened during a hijacking.
After the vessel Ariella sent out a distress signal early Friday, the Danish warship Absalon sent a helicopter to confirm the presence of pirates, and communicated with the crew to ensure they were in a safe location, said Cmdr. John Harbour, spokesman for the European Union Naval Force.
Then Danish special forces aboard the Absalon approached the Ariella in inflatable dinghies. The forces scaled the side of the ship and freed the 25 crew, who had locked themselves in a secure room, Harbour said. The forces continued to search the vessel for the pirates.
The operation is ongoing, it seems, with the pirates still roaming the ship (or more likely hiding).
UPDATE: The article was updated to say that it looks like the pirates took off before the Danes arrived, so the ship was rolling along out of control. So kudos to the Danes to reacting fast enough to deter the pirates, but the message to the pirates won't be as good as a recapture of the ship with a lot of dead pirates.
