The Portuguese navy frigate ‘Alvares Cabral’ has begun antipiracy patrols in the Indian Ocean and conducted its first boarding operation in the Gulf of Aden.
The navy said¬†this week¬†that the ship had detected and boarded a ‘dhow’ with nineteen people aboard but only found fishing tackle and no signs of any equipment used by pirates.
These actions, called ‘friendly approach’, are designed to gather information and publicise the activity of the European Union (EU) vessels in the area.
The frigate has 221 people on board, including the commander of the naval force, an international staff and the ships crew, including two boarding parties.
Portugal took over the command of the EU naval force for the second time on 6 April.
Via: http://theportugalnews.com/
