| Action of 6 May 2010 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Piracy in Somalia | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Russia | Somali Pirates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| ldar Akhmerov | unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 destroyer Naval Infantry |
1 tanker 11 pirates |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | 1 killed 10 captured 1 tanker captured |
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The Action of 6 May 2010 refers to an incident that occurred when the Liberian-flagged Russian tanker MV Moscow University was hijacked by Somali Pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and freed by the Russian Navy destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov the following day.
The Russian tanker MV Moscow University (Russian: Московский университет – Moskovskiy Universitet) was attacked on 5 May 2010 by Somali pirates 500 nautical miles (930 km) off the coast of Somalia. The ship fired water cannons and flare pistols at the pirates, and attempted to outmaneuver them, but its constant maneuvers forced it to a speed of nine knots after one hour, after which the pirates attached an assault ladder and began boarding.[1] The captain then ordered that all food and water be hidden in the steering compartment, after which he and the crew barricaded themselves in the engine room, where they repulsed two attempts by the pirates to force their way in. The pirates would hold the ship for 20 hours.[2]
The Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov came to the aid of the Moscow University after it was contacted by radio by the ship's captain, and sent out a helicopter ahead of it to provide reconnaissance. It took the destroyer a day to reach the Moscow University. Rather than fleeing after their failure to take hostages and thus losing the option of using human shields to deter a rescue, the pirates stayed on the Moscow University as the Marshal Shaposhnikov bore down on their position. The pirates fired at the reconnaissance helicopter, and the helicopter returned fire, killing one pirate. The captain confirmed to the Russian forces by radio that the crew were safe. Two warning shots were fired at the pirates, who then claimed that they had hostages. The Marshal Shaposhnikov then opened fire on the Moscow University. Under the cover of this fire, speedboats carrying Naval Infantry then approached the ship, and the troops climbed on board. After a brief shootout, the pirates were detained.
The surviving pirates may have been summarily executed by the Russian commandos, who then loaded their bodies back onto their skiff.[3][4] The Russians, however, claimed that after the pirates had been disarmed and had their ladders and boats seized, they were set adrift in an inflatable boat after being provided with food and water but with no navigation equipment, some 300 nautical miles (560 km) off Somalia. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, they did not reach the coast and likely died at sea.[5]
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