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A European Union Naval Force helicopter gunship struck a stockpile of pirate skiffs on a beach in Somalia's central Galmudug region on Tuesday (May 15th), EU naval officials said.

"We believe this action by the EU Naval Force will further increase pressure on, and disrupt pirates' efforts to get out to sea to attack merchant ships and dhows," said Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, operation commander of the EU Naval Force.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and European Union warships have battled pirates at sea since 2008, but the European Union decided to step up the fight in March, authorising strikes against pirate supplies and materiel stored along Somalia's coast. The new mandate allows warships or aircraft to fire at fuel barrels, boats, trucks or other equipment stowed on beaches, not at the pirates themselves. It also bars the deployment of land troops.

The EU Naval Force said no Somalis were injured in the strike.

"The local Somali people and fishermen -- many of whom have suffered so much because of piracy in the region -- can be reassured that our focus was on known pirate supplies and will remain so in the future," Potts said. Operation Atalanta "remains committed to fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa," he added.

The EU's Operation Atalanta has deployed between five and 10 warships off the Somali coast since 2008 to escort humanitarian aid shipments and thwart pirate raids on commercial vessels using the busy sea route, AFP reported.

The European Union says eight vessels and 235 sailors are being held hostage by pirates.

Piracy cost the world nearly $7 billion in 2011, including more than $2 billion for military operations, armed guards and equipment to protect ships, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group.