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Incident Alert – Vessel Boarded by Suspected Pirates in the Indian Ocean |
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| Date: 04 January 2024 – 1419 | Position: Lat 09°17′ N 058° 22′ E |
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Location: Indian Ocean, 460nm eat of Eyl, Somalia |
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Incident Details
Following Neptune P2P group’s incident report that was published on 04 January 2024, it has been confirmed that the crew is mustered in the citadel and the vessel is still in underway.
Comment
It was reported earlier today that the Indian Navy has deployed a warship, INS CHENNAI and aerial assets to assess the current situation. Opensource media reports state an Indian patrol aircraft has contacted the ship’s crew and has confirmed that they are safe at the time of contact, however, the pirates remain onboard.
Assessment
AIS tracking indicates LILA NORFOLK had been travelling at a constant speed (4knts) and direction over the past 24hrs. At around 1030 UTC today, however, the vessel appears to have turned West and reduced speed to 1 Knot on a bearing that indicates it is heading towards the Somali coast. This change in direction means it is likely the hijackers have now taken control of the vessel and are attempting to take it to area they control. This is consistent with previous Somali piracy hijackings where seized vessels were taken to an PAG controlled area for negotiation with the vessel’s owners.
