European Union’s Operation Atalanta Saves Ship from Pirate Attack Off Somalia

EU’s Counter-Piracy Naval Force, Operation Atalanta, rescued ship M/V Basilisk and its 17 crew members from pirates around 380 nm from Mogadishu, Somalia.

The Liberian-flagged vessel was targeted on May 23 while crossing the Indian Ocean.

M/V Basilisk was attacked by pirates on 2 small crafts, per the UKMTO reports.

Forces of Atalanta reached the site on Thursday night to tackle the situation.

After boarding the Basilisk from a helicopter, they found a crew member had been injured but is currently stable after getting medical help.

One of Atalanta’s warships secured the Basilisk, and everyone onboard was safe, though the pirates could not be caught.

The Atalanta forces were constantly in touch with the owner of the ship throughout the operation.

After this attempted piracy attack, Atalanta forces urged all vessels to register in the Maritime Security Centre—Horn of Africa’s Voluntary Registration Scheme.

This registration would enable the Atalanta forces and its allies to respond effectively and quickly to maritime security emergencies.

This recent piracy attack is a cause for concern as it signals a resurgence of piracy in the waters off Somalia. Per EUNAVFOR, there are 2 or more pirate groups off the coast of Somalia. Two ships, the MV Abdulla and MV Ruen, were hijacked in the last 5 months.

Between 2008 and 2018, Somali Pirates remained a significant security threat to ships in the region. They had remained still for some time when pirate hijackings began once again.

References: The Print, Reuters

European Union’s Operation Atalanta Saves Ship from Pirate Attack Off Somalia appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News