The US Navy said Wednesday that one of its battleships patrolling the Gulf of Aden apprehended seven suspected pirates, marking the first such action by the newly-established multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to combat piracy, according to dpa. The guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) apprehended the pirates after responding to a distress call from a nearby merchant vessel on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Manama-based US Navy 5th Fleet Command. According to the statement, several weapons were seized during a search operation onboard the suspected pirate vessel.
