Somali pirates have seized an Iranian fishing vessel carrying 23 people, maritime authorities said, warning that the hijacked ship was approaching a commercial shipping lane and could be used as a floating base for further attacks on merchant vessels.
The vessel, named the Azini, was hijacked on Thursday between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia, according to a maritime security officer with the Puntland Maritime Police Force. The officer, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, said 12 pirates seized the ship, which was carrying 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. The safety and whereabouts of the crew remained unknown.
The Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean confirmed the seizure in an alert dated Saturday. In an updated warning, the center said pirates could use the Azini as a “mother ship” to support attacks on commercial vessels — a tactic that allows pirates to launch smaller skiffs from a larger vessel and operate far from shore for extended periods. The center urged ships transiting the area to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. The European Union’s naval Operation Atalanta was investigating the hijacking.
The seizure underscores a worrying resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, with some attacks occurring far from Somalia’s coastline — a departure from the pattern of recent years, when international naval patrols and improved maritime security had sharply reduced piracy off the country’s long coast. Among the captured vessels was the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 136 nautical miles (252 kilometers) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen.
In September, Puntland authorities reported that pirates had killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered the vessel. The tanker had been held since April, and authorities said 16 suspected pirates were detained in connection with the case.
The renewed piracy adds another layer of danger for shipping in a region already disrupted by the Iran war. Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi-linked shipping through Bab el-Mandeb have complicated the routes used to move oil to world markets. Those disruptions have lengthened voyages and driven up tanker costs. The AP reported in September that some oil shipments diverted around Africa faced journeys up to a month longer, while daily spot charter rates for tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz had reached $1 million.
The Azini hijacking raises particular concern because the vessel was moving toward a commercial shipping lane when it was seized, according to the maritime security center. If pirates succeed in using the fishing boat as a mother ship, they could threaten cargo vessels across a much wider stretch of the western Indian Ocean, complicating an already fragile security environment for global shipping.
International naval forces have stepped up patrols in response to the recent spate of hijackings, but the vast expanse of ocean involved makes comprehensive protection difficult. Maritime authorities continue to advise vessels to maintain heightened vigilance, report suspicious activity promptly, and consider routing measures that reduce exposure to known piracy risk areas.
