Security Concerns Rise As Bulgarian Bulk Carrier Boarded In Eastern Indian Ocean

According to a statement from the British maritime security company Ambrey, a bulk carrier owned by a Bulgarian company and flying the Malta flag was reportedly boarded on Thursday in the eastern Indian Ocean close to Socotra Island in Yemen.

The incident happened after something similar happened in the Arabian Sea earlier with the same vessel. Six hours before the boarding, Ambrey noticed that a nearby fishing vessel flying the Iranian flag had turned off its AIS transponder. This particular vessel had previously been seen off the coast of Somalia.

The information was disclosed in Ambrey’s advisory note: “The fishing vessel flying the flag of Iran had previously been operating offshore Somalia.”

A distress call from a vessel being boarded by unidentified people was also reported in an advisory from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, located east of Bossaso, Somalia. According to the UKMTO map, the incident occurred close to the Arabian Sea off the coast of Socotra Island in Yemen.

Previous advisory notes from Ambrey and the UKMTO mentioned that investigations into reports of a vessel incident in the Yemeni seas were ongoing.

Reference: Reuters

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Source: Maritime Shipping News