Ship Boarding by Armed Persons in Indian Ocean Sparks Concern

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office is reporting that a commercial ship has been boarded by armed personnel approximately 460 nautical miles east of Somalia in the Indian Ocean.

The UKMTO report said it had received a report that 5 to 6 unauthorized armed persons boarded the ship and the Master reports that the crew have been mustered in the citadel, a type of safe room on board the vessel.

The incident comes after at least five fishing dhows have been hijacked by suspected pirates off Somalia since late November and the hijacking of a bulk carrier in the same general area of this latest boarding in mid-December.

As we have reported previously, the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier MV Ruen was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, approximately 680 nautical miles east of Bosaso, Somalia, on December 14th. Authorities closely monitored the ship as it sailed back to Somali waters where it is still being held between Eyl and Xaafun peninsula in Somalia. During that attack, the crew also mustered in the citadel but were eventually forced out.

One of Ruen’s crew members was previously evacuated for medical care, while the well-being of the remaining crew members remains a concern.

The exact demands and motivations of the hijackers in the Ruen incident remain unknown at this time. However, the string of incidents recall tactics employed by Somali pirates over a decade ago when they used dhows as motherships to launch attacks on ships far from shore.

If confirmed as Somali piracy, the Ruen hijacking would be the first successful hijacking of a commercial ship by Somali pirates since 2017.

These latest incidents are obviously highly concerning especially considering the maritime security situation in the Red Sea, where the Houthis have launched more than two-dozen attacks on commercial ships since November.

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