MOGADISHU, Somalia – A report on the threat of piracy off the coast of Somalia from the European Union’s ATALANTA mission said that there has been an increase in incidents that could increase the risk of piracy in Somalia waters.
The European Union has said that pirates have started hijacking speedboats, to use them to carry out attacks from areas 600 nm off the coast of Somalia.
“Although there have been no incidents of piracy in the past seven days, the payment of a ransom could create a new wave of hijackings,” EU NAVFOR ATALANTA said.
The ATALANTA mission said that it is estimated that at least two pirate groups may be sailing off the coast of Somalia, preparing to attack commercial ships.
European navies have said that piracy attacks are possible and can always happen. They said it is important that ships operating in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, especially those within 700nm of Somalia’s coast, comply with security recommendations.
In March of this year, a ship belonging to Bangladesh was taken for a ransom of 5 million dollars, which is the first ransom paid to Somali pirates in decades.
