The merchant ship was in very poor condition, causing the machinery to stop working after a short time. Rapid intervention of the Spanish frigate SPS Victoria ensured that pirates could not re-board the RIM and made sure the rudderless ship was no danger to shipping.
Technicians of the Dutch naval vessel noted aboard the RIM that the ship was beyond repair; the electricity had broken down, as had the navigation. The poor condition of the ship combined with the high sea state and wind causing the ship to make water, resulted in the captain of the RIM indicating to the operational headquarters of Operation Atalanta he would take his crew on board the ship [I guess they either mean 'off the RIM' or 'onto the Johan de Witt'] and letting the ship go.
HNLMS Johan de Witt was ordered to assist, mainly because they have a 2-hospital on board. |