The Navy's efforts to combat the pirate threat in the Horn of Africa culminated yesterday in the rescue of 12 hostages from a pirate mother ship.

There were no injuries reported in the incident that saw the warship Absalon stop the pirate ship off the coast of Somalia and free the captives, who were being held by 16 Somali pirates.

The 12 hostages, hailing from Pakistan and Iran, are all on their way home whilst the pirates are being held on the Absalon until it can be ascertained whether they can be prosecuted.

Yesterday’s successful rescue is in stark contrast to a controversial rescue attempt that the Absalon was involved with in February that resulted in the deaths of two hostages.

The 17 pirates involved in that scenario ended up being freed earlier this month after none of the countries in the area would agree to prosecute them.

The Absalon has been patrolling the seas off the Horn of Africa since 2008 as part of the anti-piracy coalition Task Force 150.