Bulgaria Prepares For Negotiations With Somali Pirates After MV Ruen’s Hijack

Bulgaria is getting ready for negotiations with Somali pirates in response to the recent seizure of the Bulgarian bulk carrier MV Ruen, which is flagged under Malta.

Over the weekend, the vessel—captured last week—arrived off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, near Bander Murcaayo. The Bulgarian prime minister declared that negotiations over a ransom to free the ship’s crew were about to occur.

During the hijacking, the eighteen crew members took cover in the ship’s citadel. However, the pirates could get past the security measures and forced the crew to lead the vessel to Somalia. Since the Aris 13 was targeted in 2017, this is the first known act of Somali piracy.

Security experts are now alerting people to the possibility that more ships could be in danger since Somali pirates have started operating again following a decline in incidents between 2008 and 2012.

In addition to the recent spike in Somali piracy, the region is also more unstable as a result of Houthi attacks on ships in Yemen’s north, which have severely disrupted maritime activity in the Red Sea.

Reference: Splash247

Bulgaria Prepares For Negotiations With Somali Pirates After MV Ruen’s Hijack appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News