MOGADISHU, Somalia – The joint EU-sponsored force responsible for maritime security along the East African coast including Somalia reports that it has rescued a fishing boat.
The fishing boat the ALMERAJ 1 was abducted last month off the Puntland coast by armed suspected pirates, a move that raised fears of new piracy activity in the northwestern Indian Ocean off Somalia.
The kidnapping of the ALMERAJ 1 followed the assault on the tanker Central Park, which the U.S. blamed on pirates in the Gulf of Aden, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels are operating.
The EU naval forces captured the pirates who seized the fishing dhow near Eyl town in the Puntland state of Somalia. They were demanding $400,000 in ransom while threatening to use the vessel as a mother ship for additional assaults on commercial shipping.
EUNAVFOR said that close and effective cooperation with Somali police forces and local authorities has eventually led to the surrender of suspected pirates who abducted the Iranian fishing vessel AL-MERAJ 1.
“Maritime security in North West Indian Ocean is a shared responsibility,” said EUNAVFOR.
Operation ATALANTA monitored the dhow closely for more than 230 nautical miles away from the coast of Somalia. This included the deployment of an unarmed drone and the involvement of the EU embassy in Mogadishu and the Somali authorities.
An Italian and a Spanish warship are currently deployed to the area of operation for Operation ATALANTA.
Shabelle Media Network + Maritime Executive
