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Incident Alert – Vessel Attacked in the Indian Ocean |
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| Date: 04 January 2024 – 1419 UTC | Position: Lat 05° 54′ N 054° 12′ E |
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Location: Indian Ocean, 460nm east of Eyl, Somalia |
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Incident Details
It has been reported by the UKMTO that a merchant vessel has been boarded in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, by between 5-6 armed suspected pirates.
Comment
Since December, there have been five vessels that have either been attacked, boarded or hijacked by a suspected Piracy Action Group (PAG) operating out of Puntland, Somalia. The vessel involved in this latest incident is believed to be the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, LILA NORFOLK and the crew are said to be in the ship’s citadel. This is the second commercial ship hijacked in the region in the last few weeks, the fate of the other vessel MV RUEN, is still not clear.
Analysis
It is likely that at least one of the Fishing Dhows hijacked recently off Somalia has been used to conduct this latest attack and there is a reasonable possibility that these Dhows are being used as part of a wider PAG operation. There is now a viable threat from piracy against commercial ships transiting the area and all vessels are advised to exercise caution and comply with BMP 5 piracy counter-piracy measures.
