EUNAVFOR Atalanta, the EU mission to monitor security off the Horn of Africa, is confirming that armed pirates have boarded a Chinese fishing vessel in Somali waters. Because the vessel remains in coastal waters, it is being classified as an armed robbery at sea, which means a case of piracy within territorial waters.
The local police force in the Puntland region of Somalia notified the EU operation of a possible hijacking of a Chinese fishing vessel reported to have up to 18 people aboard. Atalanta reports it has assets monitoring the vessel off the northeast coast of Somalia. It is currently developing situational awareness and gathering information according to the statement.
The EU operation is confirming that “the fishing vessel is under control of the alleged pirates, some of whom are carrying AK-47 and machine guns.” They believe no one has been injured.
Currently, Atlanta is in contact with the Somalia and Chinese authorities. They are remaining in the vicinity of the hijacked fishing boat.
Atalanta warned in early November of a moderate threat level which they believed increased with the end of the monsoon season. Vessels were being urged to maintain a heightened state of vigilance in light of the recent escalation in piracy threats. They calculated that 19 dhows had been hijacked and a total of 43 incidents had been reported between November 2023 and October 2024.
A warning was issued in late October that a pirate group consisting of 13 people had headed out to sea from Somalia and on October 23 there was a report of suspicious activity near a Chinese vessel. However, when no further activity was detected, the specific warning was withdrawn.
After years of relative stability, the belief is that the Somali pirates were emboldened by the unsettled conditions in the region and resumed their attacks on merchant vessels. Atalanta’s report shows that at least a dozen vessels were boarded or hijacked while many other approaches or levels of suspicious activity were also reported.
source: www.maritime-executive.com
