Unit Interventie Mariniers The Unit Interventie Mariniers ( " Marine Intervention Unit " , UIM ) , formerly known as the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid ( BBE ) , is an elite Dutch special forces unit , which is specially trained for intervention missions . It consists of a selection of specially trained marines of the Dutch Marine Corps , and it is part of the " Maritime Special Operations Forces " ( MARSOF ) , which is the maritime counterpart of the Dutch Army ' s Korps Commandotroepen . The Unit Interventie Mariniers is a special forces unit that is specialized in counter - terrorism operations . It is able to operate in and outside of the Netherlands , with emphasis on maritime special operations . This also includes long - range reconnaissance , direct action and military assistance operations , both foreign and domestic , often in conjunction with SF units of the " Maritime Special Operations Forces " ( MARSOF ) . Similar units are the French GIGN , German GSG 9 and British SBS . History . On 22 February 1973 , the Dutch government officially created a specialist counter - terrorism unit in response to the Munich massacre , when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestine pro - Fatah militants . The government felt the urge of protecting the nation against such incidents in the future , and so members of the Dutch Marine Corps were selected for this special unit . Marines were chosen because , at that time , they were particularly notorious : Dutch marines are hardened , highly trained , professional soldiers . The creation of an counter - terrorism unit within the Marine Corps would help relieve the Corps from this negative image . On July 1 , 2006 , a new government organ , " Dienst Speciale Interventies " ( DSI ) was founded . This is a joint operations centre for counter - terrorism actions in the Netherlands . Members of the UIM and special police units work together , and form a " Unit Interventie " , which is a joint task force of Defence and police personnel . Dienst Speciale Interventies . The " Dienst Speciale Interventies " is the joint operations centre for domestic CT operations , and it combines special units from the Ministries of Defence and Justice . These units are : Operations . The UIM ( or BBE Mariniers prior to 2005 ) has seen a lot of action since its creation . The first real intervention mission was the recapture of the Scheveningen prison in October 1974 . Operators used hand - to - hand combat and stun grenades against jailed terrorists , who had revolted and held the prison under siege . The best - known intervention mission was ending the combined siege of a train and a primary school , which was done by South - Moluccan terrorists . The UIM managed to kill the 6 captors on the train during a short but precise raid . Unfortunately , 2 hostages did not survive this . The raid was successful due to the fact that the Royal Netherlands Air Force was called in , with 6 F - 104 Starfighter aircraft making very low flypast manoeuvres in full afterburn . This was mainly a distraction , allowing for a swift raid and the killing of the six captors on board . The siege at the primary school ended not long after the train siege had ended . On 13 March 1978 , the UIM responded to a province hall hostage crisis in Assen . The raid came just in time : the hijackers had almost executed two people . A known operation of the UIM was on 10 November 2004 in The Hague . The police had tried to arrest Ismail A . and Jason W . ( members of the Hofstad Network ) in a house at the Laakkwartier , but failed , as three police officers had been injured by grenades thrown at them by the terrorists . UIM operators were ordered to secure and maintain the site . After a successful raid , the two young terrorists were arrested . In 2008 , the UIM had been active in the seas near Somalia as a security detachment for the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate Hr . Ms . De Ruyter , that was tasked with the escort of cargo ships that were contracted by the United Nations ' World Food Programme . The unit was deployed several times to fight off pirates that attempted to raid the ships , and some teams were stationed on some of the ships as well . In April 2010 , an UIM - team embarked on board Hr . Ms . Tromp re - captured the German container ship MS Taipan off the coast of Somalia , that was under the control of Somali pirates . Though multiple shots were fired , including a machine gun barrage on the ship ' s bridge , the only injury was an operator that was slightly injured when he fell while storming the ship . A video released by the Royal Netherlands Navy , shows helmet camera footage of the Marines storming and re - taking the ship . Equipment . The UIM uses a variety of weapons : The Royal Netherlands Navy helicopters provide airlift , and additional support . Two Dienst Luchtvaart Politie ( Police Aviation Service ) AW139 medium sized helicopters are also available for use by the Dienst Speciale Interventies . It is important to note , however , that UIM operators have been reluctant to use deadly force in the past , instead preferring to use non - lethal methods , intimidation , and non - discriminate fire ( shoot only when being shot at ) that enable them to capture instead of to kill .