Somali pirates again: tanker attacked off the coast of Northeast Africa

Off the coast of Somalia, a Maltese-flagged vessel came under machine gun and grenade fire, and armed attackers subsequently boarded the damaged ship. This was reported by UNN with reference to UKMTO, Oceans Beyond Piracy, and the BBC.

Details

Off the coast of Somalia, armed men seized a Maltese-flagged tanker. The raid, according to the British Navy inspection (UKMTO), occurred approximately 560 nautical miles southeast of the Somali city of Eyl. The attackers fired automatic weapons and grenade launchers, and then boarded the tanker, which was en route from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa.

The attack on the Malta-registered vessel occurred around 11:48 local time (08:48 GMT). According to Latsco, the vessel was a tanker carrying gasoline.

Private security firm Ambrey stated that the attackers were likely Somali pirates who had been active in the region in recent days.

Greek shipping company Latsco Marine Management also confirmed the attack, stating that all 24 crew members of the vessel were "safe and accounted for," and "we are in close contact with them."

"The captain of the vessel reported that one small vessel approached him from the stern. The small vessel opened fire with small arms and RPGs towards the vessel," the UKMTO statement said.

Addition

The attack comes amid a resurgence of piracy in the region, which had declined after peaking more than a decade ago.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia peaked in 2011, with 237 attacks recorded. According to the monitoring group Oceans Beyond Piracy, Somali piracy in the region cost the global economy approximately $7 billion in 2011.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, seven incidents have been recorded off the coast of Somalia in 2024. Since the beginning of the year, Somali pirates have seized several fishing vessels.

Recall

Somali pirates released the captured Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Abdullah after receiving a $5 million ransom from the ship's owners.

The Greek Ministry of Shipping stated several years ago that the tanker "Happy Lady" was two nautical miles from the port of Limbe in Cameroon when it was attacked by armed men.

The US military conducted an airstrike on a vessel carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.