PIRATES FIRE ON TANKER STOLT SAGALAND IN ATTEMPTED HIJACKING OFF SOMALIA
Threat level raised as hijacking attempt underlines escalating threat to international shipping from hijacked dhows in the Indian Ocean.
Threat level raised as hijacking attempt underlines escalating threat to international shipping from hijacked dhows in the Indian Ocean.
Image: Stolt Tankers
Four pirates attacked chemical tanker Stolt Sagaland in the early hours of 3 November and attempted to board the vessel, according to reports.
According to a UKMTO warning, a vessel master reported at 0220 UTC that four unauthorised persons had attempted to board his vessel 332 nm East of Mogadishu, Somalia. The attackers approached on a small craft, which had been launched from a mother vessel around 5 nm east of their target.
The small grey-and-white-hulled craft returned to its mother vessel after it was challenged by warning shots from the hijacking target, according to an update from UKMTO. All crew are reported safe and the vessel is continuing to its next port of call.
Maritime security company Vanguard identified the ship as Stolt Sagaland and said a skiff had approached the vessel from the starboard side and opened fire.
Vanguard said the on board Armed Security Team (AST) “responded effectively”, deterring the attack and preventing damage or injury, while the crew played their part by raising the alarm, increasing speed, and conducting evasive maneuvers.
“Vanguard MAC immediately alerted partner vessels in the area and relayed details to UKMTO and MSCIO. EU NAVFOR ATALANTA has since raised the threat level to its highest, assessing that a Pirate Action Group (PAG) is active, potentially linked to the Iranian dhow hijacked last week. Aerial reconnaissance has been tasked to search the area,” Vanguard said.
A spate of hijackings of dhows by Somali nationals this year signalled a potential escalation of the simmering threat to international shipping from Somali pirates. Dhows are used by Somali pirates as mother ships for smaller skiffs, extending the effective range of hijacking attempts to hundreds of nautical miles from the coast.
At its peak from 2008-2011, Somali piracy was a scourge on the shipping industry which sparked co-ordinated international military and regulatory responses. Hundreds of attacks on vessels led to hundreds of successful hijackings, often leading to crews being held for ransom in appalling conditions ashore.