Eye in the sky

[Pantelis]

Eye in the sky

US warships off the coast of Somalia are using unmanned drones to hunt pirates terrorising international shipping.

Sailors aboard the USS Mahan told the AP news agency they had been using the spy flights daily to spot potential pirate motherships.

For years, the US has used drones to track potential terrorists among Somalia's warlords, but the navy said more and more of the planes are now being used to fight piracy.

The drones can fly more than 915 metres above sea level and relay pictures detailed enough to recognise the flags flown on fishing boats that Somalis use to avoid detection.

The drones take still photos and videos that are instantly relayed to the US ships, which can then send this material to other nations in the international anti-piracy coalition that may have ships near the suspicious vessel.

On Thursday, pictures taken by the drones, some of which are also equipped with night vision, helped apprehend nine pirates after a night flight relayed pictures of a skiff with a ladder onboard. A skiff had fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a Mercator Lines tanker in the area earlier.

The American warship dispatched helicopters to provide surveillance and air cover, and it deployed a boat with a search and seizure team.

"We have a unique capability in which we have an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) that helps us detect the pirates and makes it hard for them to hide," USS Mahan captain Stephen Murphy said.

"The UAV ... can stay airborne all day and cover thousands of miles of the ocean and be able to spot pirates."

By Gary Dixon in London

Tradewinds