Attack on Spanish oiler Patiño facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Attack on Patiño |
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| Part of Operation Atalanta | |||||||
 Spanish replenishment oiler Patiño |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spain |
Somali pirates | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 1 killed 6 captured 1 skiff captured |
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On January 12, 2012, Somali pirates attacked a Spanish Navy ship called the Patiño. The pirates thought the Patiño was a large trading ship. They fired at the Patiño from their small boat, called a skiff. The Spanish ship fired back and chased them with its helicopter. The attack happened near the coast of Somalia. One pirate died, and six others were caught.
Contents
What Happened During the Attack?
The Patiño is a special ship that gives fuel and supplies to other navy ships. It was in the Indian Ocean as part of Operation Atalanta. This operation helps stop piracy near Somalia. The Patiño had been there since November 2011 and was the main ship for the European Union's navy forces.
Pirates Attack the Patiño
At 3:30 AM on January 12, 2012, the Patiño was stopped after helping a World Food Programme ship deliver food to Mogadishu, Somalia. A guard on the Spanish ship saw a small boat next to the Patiño. Seven people in the boat started shooting at the Spanish ship with AK-47 rifles. They seemed to think the Patiño was a cargo ship.
The Patiño was hit about 50 times on its side and chimney during the shooting. The fight lasted for about two minutes. The Spanish sailors fired back with their smaller guns. When the pirates kept attacking, the Spanish crew used more force to stop them. This made the pirate boat try to get away.
The Chase and Capture
One of the Patiño's helicopters, an SH-3 Sea King, chased the pirate boat for about 3,000 yards (about 2.7 kilometers). The helicopter warned the pirates using a loudspeaker. It finally stopped them by firing a machine gun across the front of their boat.
During the chase, the attackers threw things into the sea. These included three ladders, two bags, and seven rifles. The Spanish crew caught six men. Five of them were hurt, and three were seriously injured. The pirates said that a seventh person from their crew was killed during the shooting and fell into the sea. The pirate boat was damaged by the gunfire and was taken by the Spanish authorities.
What Happened After the Attack?
A judge in Spain ordered the captured pirates to be taken to Spain. They faced charges for piracy, having illegal weapons, damaging government property, and attacking security forces. The judge decided that Spain could try the pirates because the attack was against Spanish citizens in international waters.
Pirates Go to Court
The pirates said they were not guilty. They claimed they were fishermen who needed help at sea. However, in October 2013, a Spanish court found all six men guilty of trying to commit piracy. They were sentenced to eight years in jail. One man received an extra four and a half years for being part of a criminal group.
In April 2014, the court decided to make the sentences longer. They added five more years to each sentence. This meant the pirates would spend between thirteen and seventeen and a half years in jail.
See also
In Spanish: Ataque al buque Patiño para niños
