| Action of 3 March 2009 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Piracy in Somalia Operation Atalanta | |||||||
.jpg) Rheinland-Pfalz | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany United States | Somali pirates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Markus Rehbein | Mohamud Hashi | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1 frigate 2 helicopters | 1 skiff | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None |
9 captured 1 skiff captured | ||||||
The action of 3 March 2009 took place when the German Bremen-class frigate Rheinland-Pfalz chased and captured a pirate skiff in the Gulf of Aden, after the persons on board the small vessel fired at and attempted to stop the German-owned tanker MV Courier. The operation marked the first time that the German Navy captured a hostile vessel at sea since World War II.