Liberian Tanker Exchanges Gunfire with Pirates in Gulf of Aden
YAR!PRIMITIVE ACCUMULATION OF CAPITAL,MATEY
For the second time in as many days, a commercial vessel reports being approached by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Today’s incident resulted in an exchange of gunfire before the pirates were chased away and comes as authorities have warned that multiple pirate action groups are on the prowl off Somalia.
The vessel, which was identified as the Liberian-register tanker Yamilah III (74,886 dwt) by EUNAVFOR Atalanta, was reported to be approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Nishtun, Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. The UK Maritime Trade Organizations said the master of the tanker reported sighting a small boat approaching the tanker which had departed Fujairah, UAE bound for Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The tanker is managed by a company in the UAE.
The report said the small boat followed the tanker before beginning an approach. When it was at a close distance the armed security guards aboard the tanker fired warning shots. Unlike yesterday’s incident where the pirates withdrew, the report said there was an exchange of small arms fire between the pirates and security guards. The pirate boat departed after the exchange of fire.
Yesterday, a bulk carrier identified by EUNAVFOR as the Liberian-registered New Leonidas (170,500 dwt), reported it was followed for approximately 20 minutes by a small boat. They reported the people in the boat were armed and they could see a ladder in the boat. When the pirates approached, the armed guards on the bulker fired warning shots and the pirates departed without returning fire. Yesterday’s incident was in the same general area as it was reported to be 160 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman.
The security operations for the region have issued multiple warnings in recent days highlighting increased activity in the region. EUNAVFOR believes possible four pirate action groups are currently active in the region looking for targets.
Having successfully stopped three recent incidents in the region, commanders from the Indian Navy yesterday highlighted their increased patrols in the region. Ajay Bhatt, the Minister of State for Defence, since 2008, India has deployed approximately 110 vessels to provide security in the region. He said they have escorted 3,440 ships and over 25,000 seafarers to ensure the freedom of navigation in the region.
EUNAVFOR Atalanta reports the incident with the Yamilah III, which they classified as an attempted attack, was the 24th incident since November 2023. Reuters is reporting that it spoke with one of the piracy groups and they have stepped up efforts believing the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea could be distracting international naval forces and providing an opening for resuming their piracy efforts.
The hijacking of the Navibulgar bulker Ruen in December was reported to be the first successful Somali piracy attack since 2017. An attack the prior month on a chemical tanker was stopped by U.S. naval forces and when the pirates attempted to flee, they were apprehended by the Americans. The Maritime Security Center for the Horn of Africa warned this week that the possibility of piracy incidents has increased and that ships should be taking extra precautions in a wider area as the pirates are now using motherships in a range up to 600 nautical miles from Somalia.
Pirates Permit Abdullah Crew to Call Home but Move Ship Toward Shore
The Somali pirates holding the Bangladeshi vessel Abdullah apparently are fearing a possible rescue attempt by the international forces. Reports are that they repositioned the bulker closer to shore while reiterating that they are holding the crew aboard. To emphasize conditions they also permitted the crew to call home for the first time since the incident began more than a week ago.
The media in Bangladesh is quoting family members reporting that each crewmember was given a few minutes on the vessel’s satellite phone to call their families. The pirates have confiscated cell phones and electronic devices from the crew and it has been a week since there had been any direct contact.
The crew is reporting that they are in good condition but are now fearful that the ship will soon run out of drinking water and food. They told family members that the ship only had supplies aboard for the voyage that would have already reached the UAE.
The 22 crewmembers said they were still aboard the Abdullah. They are reporting that tension and anxiety are running high with the captors brandishing AK-47 rifles onboard but said they have not been mistreated.
Contributing to the tensions was news that the Indian Navy successfully rescued the crew of the Bulgarian vessel Ruen last weekend. Reports are that a warship working with the EUNAVFOR Atalanta mission is watching the Abdullah from a distance after tracking the ship to Somalia. The Indian Navy reported it had followed the ship until it reached Somali waters.
EUNAVFOR released a video of the warship following the Abdullah with a helicopter monitoring the ship
With a warship on the horizon, the reports said the pirates had now moved all the crew into a single room. Previously they had been permitted to stay in their cabins. Additional pirates also boarded the ship, possibly relieving the first batch that seized the ship.
The reports are that the ship was repositioned just four miles from the Somali coast to discourage any attempts by the international forces. In addition, officials from the government in Bangladesh and SK Shipping told the Bangladeshi media that they did not approve an action with force and remain hopeful of a quick settlement.
They are not revealing any additional details after reports Wednesday that they had been contacted by a third-party representative of the pirates. At that point, however, the reports said no specific ransom demand was made.
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