Somali pirates seized an Iranian fishing vessel carrying 23 people. The hijacking raised fears that the ship could be used to launch attacks on commercial cargo carriers.
The vessel, named the Azini, was captured on Thursday between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia. A maritime security officer with the Puntland Maritime Police Force confirmed the details on Sunday.
The officer stated that 12 pirates carried out the hijacking. The crew comprised 21 Iranian nationals and two Somali security guards. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean issued an alert on Saturday stating that the safety of the crew remained unknown. In an updated warning, the center cautioned that the pirates could employ the hijacked vessel as a mother ship to support raids against commercial traffic.
The European Union naval force, Operation Atalanta, is investigating the incident. The security center urged all vessels operating in the region to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.
This seizure comes amid a broader resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had captured six commercial vessels since April, with several operations occurring far from the Somali coastline.
Among those incidents was the capture of the oil products tanker Sibu 1, which was seized about 136 nautical miles east of Al-Mukalla in Yemen.
In September, authorities in Puntland reported that pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces managed to recover the vessel. That tanker had been held since April, and local authorities detained 16 suspected pirates following the operation.
The renewed threat of piracy compounds dangers for maritime trade in a region already disrupted by the conflict involving Iran. Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats from Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting Saudi-linked shipping near Bab Al-Mandab have complicated vital oil transit routes.
These disruptions have extended voyage times and increased tanker costs. Some oil shipments diverted around the African continent have faced journeys lasting up to a month longer, while daily spot charter rates for tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz reached one million dollars.
International naval patrols and strengthened maritime security had sharply reduced Somali piracy over the past decade. The recent wave of captures has renewed international concerns regarding the safety of ships traversing the long Somali coastline.
