The European Union’s Operation ATALANTA is currently monitoring the hijacking of the Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier M/V Abdullah by Somali pirates.
The ship was taken over by armed pirates on Tuesday in the Indian Ocean, approximately 600 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia. The pirates have since navigated the vessel to the north-central Somalian coast, where it is currently anchored at position 0641N-04719E.
The 23 crew members on board have been taken hostage. Although they have been reported to be safe, officials note the situation is still ongoing.
EUNAVFOR’s Operation ATALANTA was the first to respond to the incident and has been closely monitoring the Abdullah since then. Visual information has shown at least 12 confirmed pirates on board the vessel. However, the initial alert of the hijacking indicated a group of 20 armed individuals. It is speculated that the pirates involved in this hijacking may be the same group that hijacked the M/V Ruen in December.
Interestingly, the pirated Ruen has been observed heading east for the last 24 hours. Its last known position is 0640N-05211E.
“There is a realistic possibility MV RUEN is being used as a mothership to conduct additional pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea,” noted Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at UK-based EOS Risk Group. “It is also likely that the dhow used as a mothership to board ABDULLAH remains at sea.”
EUNAVFOR has identified three groups of suspected pirates in the north, central, and south areas of the Somali Coast, where the attacks are purportedly being launched.
