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2023-12-17 Africa Horn
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Spanish and Indian warships rush in to investigate suspected pirate attack off Somalia
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[Garowe] A Spanish navy ship is sailing at full speed towards a Maltese-flagged commercial vessel that may have been hijacked by pirates off Somalia, the European Union
 ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
's Somali counter-piracy force said on Friday.
If confirmed, it would be the first successful hijacking involving  Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
EUNAVFOR's joint operations center in Spain said it received an alert on Thursday about the "alleged pirate-hijacked vessel" Ruen, which was approximately 500 nautical miles east of Socotra Island, off Somalia.
In Somalia's breakaway Puntland
...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion...
region, a member of a group that helped organize raids on ships in the past told Rooters he had heard pirates had managed to seize a vessel.
"Six of my pirate friends managed to capture a ship and they will bring it to the coast of the eastern region of Puntland," Mukhtar Mohamud said by phone from the coastal city of Qandala.
He did not name the vessel and Puntland's maritime authorities had no immediate comment.
EUNAVFOR said the Spanish warship Victoria had been sent to the scene "to gather more information and evaluate further actions".
"EUNAVFOR remains vigilant to this and other recent piracy-related events in the area of operations, the northwest Indian Ocean and the Red Sea."
The force added that it was coordinating with the broader international naval Combined Maritime Force.
British maritime security company Ambrey said it believed the Ruen had been hijacked by pirates.
Earlier on Friday, Britannia’s maritime body UKMTO said it had received a report from a ship's security officer who believed the crew no longer had control of a vessel that was currently headed towards Somalia.
The Ruen is managed by Bulgaria's Navigation Maritime Bulgare, according to data on the public shipping database Equasis.
The vessel was last seen underway in the open sea sailing towards Somalia at 1426 GMT, according to ship tracking data on LSEG.
Indian Navy responds swiftly to ‘Mayday’ call from hijacked Malta ship heading to Somalia
[ShabellMedia] India Navy responded swiftly to a ‘Mayday’ call from a Malta-flagged commercial vessel heading towards Somalia. The ship was reportedly hijacked in the Arabian Sea and UK Maritime Operations has said the crew has lost control of the vessel.
Indian Navy in a statement said, “Indian Navy’s Mission Deployed platforms responded swiftly to a maritime incident in the Arabian Sea involving hijacking of Malta Flagged Vessel MV Ruen. The vessel, with 18 crew onboard, had sent a Mayday message on the UKMTO portal, PM 14 Dec 23, indicating boarding by approx six unknown personnel.”
“Responding swiftly to the developing situation, the Indian Navy diverted its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft undertaking surveillance in the area and its warship on Anti Piracy patrol in the Gulf Aden to locate and assist MV Ruen. The aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on the early morning of 15 Dec 23 and IN aircraft have been continuously monitoring the movement of the vessel, which is now heading towards the coast of Somalia,” it said. “Indian Navy’s warship, mission deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrol, has also intercepted MV Ruen at early hours of 16 Dec 23,” Navy added.
The naval force said they are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with other agencies. “The Indian Navy remains committed to being a first responder in the region and ensuring the safety of merchant shipping, along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” it said.
In a recent tweet, the European Union Naval Force said, “Based on first information available on MV RUEN, #OperationAtalanta Flagship ESPS #VICTORIA is proceeding fast towards the alleged pirate-hijacked vessel to gain more awareness & evaluate following actions, also in coordination with @CMF_Bahrain.”
The UK Maritime Operations has advised vessels to safely transit and report any suspicious activity.
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Posted by trailing wife 2023-12-17 2023-12-17 01:03||
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