Commercial Ship Still Hijacked off Somali Coast
A commercial vessel hijacked by unknown assailants remains off the coast of Somalia raising fears of further instability for global shipping as attacks escalate in the Red Sea, maritime security sources said on Monday.A Spanish navy ship was dispatched at full speed on Friday towards the Maltese-flagged Ruen vessel, which sources said had been hijacked.British maritime security company Ambrey said the vessel had reached nine miles offshore from Bander Murcaayo in Puntland, Somalia on Dec.
Somali Pirates Are Back in Action, But Full Scale Return Unlikely
An Iranian fishing vessel, Almeraj 1, was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2023. According to media reports, the pirates demanded US$400,000 in ransom and threatened to use the Iranian ship for additional hijackings if the payment was not made.Two days later, other Somali pirates hijacked a tanker, Central Park, off the Yemeni coast. The tanker sent a distress signal during the attack. Forces from a nearby American warship captured the pirates as they tried to…
Somali Regional Antipiracy Chief Says Sacked over Illegal Fishing Comments
The head of anti-piracy operations in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia said he had been fired for speaking out about illegal fishing, which he claims could trigger a new outbreak of piracy in the Indian Ocean. Pirates hijacked an oil tanker off Somalia last week, the first such attack in the region since 2012 after shipping firms hired private security and international warships started patrolling nearby waters. Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, director of anti-piracy operations in Puntland, said the province's president sacked him after he told journalists that permits had been handed to illegal fishing vessels. "The problem with Puntland is that if you talk about illegal fishing, you are seen as a criminal," Dirir told Reuters.
Somali Pirates Release Hijacked Ship, Crew without Ransom
Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment of a ransom. The release followed a gunfight earlier in the day between the pirates and the marine force, and then intensive negotiations between the marine force, clan elders and the pirates. "There has been discussion going on after the gunfight of this afternoon ...
Attempted Somali Pirate Hostage Rescue: Three Dead
Puntland, a Province of NE Somalia, Maritime Police Force (PMPF) in shoot-out with pirates aboard hijacked 'MV Iceberg 1' in rescue attempt. The crew on board the Iceberg 1, has been held hostage by pirates since March 2010. For some long while the pirates kept the hostages apart at different locations, but information received by Puntland security agencies indicated that the crew had been returned to the ship. PMPF forces went into action on Dec. 10, 2012, when there was an exchange of gunfire between them and the pirates. Puntland government forces prevented supplies from getting in or out of the hijacked vessel. On the morning of Dec.
