Copenhagen - Danish authorities on Saturday were in consultation with the Netherlands over the fate of five suspected pirates captured after an attempted piracy attack off the Somalian coast against a ship registered in the Netherlands Antilles. The freighter reported Friday it was being attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, triggering a response from the Danish navy, a navy spokesman said Saturday.
A helicopter based on the Danish navy vessel Absalon fired warning shots at the pirate vessel. The freighter's crew also fired emergency flares at the pirates vessel. Those caught fire, forcing the five suspected pirates to jump into the sea.
The crew of the Absalon then rescued the suspected pirates from the sea and later sank the burning vessel to prevent possible danger to other ships.
The Danish Foreign Ministry on Saturday contacted Dutch authorities, asking them to decide if they wanted to prosecute the suspected pirates.
"We contacted them since the vessel is registered on the Netherlands Antilles and therefore it appears most logical that the Netherlands tries them," Thomas Winkler, head of the Danish Foreign Ministry's legal affairs department, told Danish public broadcaster DR.
DR reported that the Dutch Foreign Ministry said it did not expect a decision until next week.
Meanwhile, the five suspected pirates were to remain onboard the Absalon.
The Absalon has been deployed in the waters off Somalia since early September, patrolling international shipping lanes in the region.
