Maltese Flagged Vessel Still Held Hostage Off Somali Coast

According to maritime security sources on Monday, a commercial vessel that was seized by unidentified attackers is still off the coast of Somalia, raising concerns about additional instability for international trade as attacks in the Red Sea intensify.

On Friday, a Spanish navy vessel was sent racing in the direction of the Ruen vessel, flying the Maltese flag, which, per insiders, was taken over. On December 17, the vessel arrived nine miles offshore from Bander Murcaayo in Puntland, Somalia, per the British maritime security firm Ambrey.

This was thought to be the first Somali pirate hijacking of a commerce vessel since the ARIS 13 in 2017. Per Ambrey, the incident was partially caused by Puntland’s political unrest. It is determined that there may be an opportunity for criminal activity.

On Monday, the EU’s naval force, EUNAVFOR, stated that the incident continued to go on and that it was working closely with the local authorities in Somalia. It also said that it was organizing efforts to share information and do a follow-up.

Per information from a source of ship tracking and marine analytics, the Ruen last reported that it was off the coast of Somalia at 1810 GMT on Monday. A request for comment was not immediately answered by Navigation Maritime Bulgare, the manager of the vessel, which is located in Bulgaria.

Per maritime insiders, there are concerns within the industry regarding the possibility of a spillover effect from the Houthis, who are supported by Iran and are attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea to aid Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group, in their conflict with Israel in Gaza.

Reference: XM

Maltese Flagged Vessel Still Held Hostage Off Somali Coast appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News