After three months, Somali pirates continue to hold four smaller vessels with no reports of progress in the efforts to free the 67 crewmembers that are being held aboard the vessels. The EU’s Operation Atalanta provided an update and emphasized that it remains committed to supporting the successful liberation as soon as possible, but with the vessels close to the coast, it is dependent on the local authorities.
Piracy surged this year, possibly in part due to the spike in fuel prices and the unsettled regional conditions after the start of the war in the Arabian Gulf. The pirates appeared emboldened and were going further offshore into the shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and closer to Yemen as they stalked their targets.
The Egyptian government was one of the parties moving aggressively, trying to bring a resolution to the situations while other reports said Pakistan was also actively negotiating with the pirates. However, reports said there are challenges, including rivalries among the pirate groups in the Puntland region and in Somalia. In one instance, it was said to have resulted in a gun battle at the vessels among the groups. The few reports from the hostage crewmembers have said there are poor conditions, a lack of clean drinking water, and food.
The Palau-flagged motor tanker Honour 25 is the vessel that has been held the longest, as it was hijacked off the northern coast of Somalia while en route to Mogadishu on April 21. Atalanta reports her cargo consists of oil products. She has a crew comprised of 17 people, most of them from Pakistan.
Days after the first seizure, the cargo ship Seward was hijacked on April 26 off the northern coast of Somalia during her transit to Mombasa. She is the only one of the hijacked vessels not loaded with fuel products, as she is transporting fertilizer. She is a Turkish vessel registered in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the crew on board is up to 15 people, most of them from Syria.
The Togo-flagged motor tanker EUREKA was hijacked on May 2 while she was anchored off Qana Port, Shabwa, Yemen. She was due to sail to Bosaso, Somalia, with a cargo of oil products. There are 12 crewmembers aboard, with eight of them being Egyptians.
While there were intermittent reports of approaches and sometimes gunfire, the next boarding and hijacking did not happen until July 17, when the motor tanker ASANA, registered in Tanzania, was seized approximately 65 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla, Yemen. It was also sailing for Bosaso with a cargo of oil products. There are 22 crewmembers aboard, with half of them from India.
Atalanta reports that the four vessels remain under observation. They are anchored along the northern coast of Somalia, inside territorial waters, and very close to the coast. The four vessels have been positioned at a short distance from each other.
Atalanta says it continues monitoring the situation, exercising pressure on the pirate action groups, and is in direct contact with Somali forces. It reports an exchange of relevant information about the four piracy events as it works to support the release of the crews and their ships. It also continues to issue multiple warning alerts through its Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) to all vessels sailing in the vicinity to maintain heightened vigilance.
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