In a concerning development on Tuesday, twenty armed individuals commandeered a cargo vessel off the coast of Somalia, according to a maritime security firm.
This incident is part of a worrying trend of ship targeting that has seen a resurgence of Somali pirates’ attacks in recent months. However, Ambrey, the maritime security company, did not specifically identify the assailants as Somali pirates.
The vessel, identified by Ambrey as a Bangladesh-flagged bulk cargo carrier, was en route from Mozambique to the UAE when it fell into the hands of the armed group. The event took place approximately 600 nautical miles east of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also issued a notice about the ship’s boarding, advising vessels to exercise caution while transiting the area. Like Ambrey, the BMTO did not confirm whether the attackers were Somali pirates.
Somali pirates wreaked havoc on vital international waterways from approximately 2008 to 2018, with their activities dwindling before experiencing a revival late last year.
Data from the European Union’s Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (EU NAVFOR), which oversees anti-piracy operations, indicates over 20 incidents of ship hijackings or attempted hijackings in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin since November.
Maritime sources suggest that the pirates’ resurgence could be attributed to relaxed security measures or the exploitation of chaos arising from Yemen’s Houthi rebel attacks on vessels amid ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Ambrey reported conflicting accounts regarding the whereabouts of the ship’s crew taken by the armed individuals.
The BMTO stated that authorities are currently investigating the incident, highlighting the ongoing risks in the region’s maritime landscape.
