The Danish military said on Thursday that a Danish warship had killed four pirates in waters south of Nigeria as part of an operation to defend shipping in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Danish military said the Esbern Snare, which was deployed to the Gulf of Guinea last month amid increased security threats from pirates, "saw a fast-moving vessel carrying eight suspected pirates near a number of commercial ships" on Wednesday.
According to a spokeswoman, the incident occurred in international seas 25 to 30 nautical miles south of Nigeria's territorial line.
The watercraft, which was detected by a frigate's helicopter, was carrying piracy-related gear, including ladders.
The pirates opened fire on Danish navy special troops after the ship fired warning rounds, killing four pirates and wounding one, according to a statement from the Danish military.
The frigate took the remaining four pirates on board, and no one was hurt.
According to the spokeswoman, it was the frigate's first time firing during its current assignment in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Gulf of Guinea has been a pirate hotspot for years, but since national authorities ramped up security operations with the help of international navy forces, occurrences have dropped.
After a record 130 seamen were abducted from boats in the region in 2020, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Portugal contributed help, ships, and training personnel to combat piracy during the last year.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, piracy and armed robbery events decreased to 28 in the first nine months of 2021, compared to 46 in the same period of 2020.
Separately, on a visit to Ghana on Wednesday and Thursday, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and opposition legislator Jakob Elleman both planned to visit the ship.
They were not on board at the time of the disaster.
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