The EU Naval Force ((Eunavor) Operation Atlanta has reported two piracy incidents off the northern coast of Somalia involving the merchant vessel Sward and motor tanker Honour 25.
According to Eunavor the vessel Sward was “pirated in the area of Dhinowda, northern coast of Somalia on April 26”.
Sward, a cement carrier, left the Port of Suez in Egypt on April 13 en route to Mombasa, Kenya, with17 crew members on board.
According to The Guardian, just after 8pm on Sunday, the pirates navigated Sward towards the coast and anchored it in a remote area near Garacad. Six armed men and an unarmed interpreter fluent in English and Arabic then boarded the ship.
“He’s not only speaking with the crew but also dealing with the owner of the ship,” a security official told the newspaper, while a second official said the interpreter was in charge.
Four more armed men had boarded Sward by Tuesday, bringing the total number of pirates on board to 20, the officials said.
Eunavor said in a statement that it “continues to be in direct contact with Somali forces, exchanging relevant information effectively on both piracy episodes”.
The earlier incident centres on the motor tanker Honour 25, which remains under observation by Eunavor assets. The operation stated its vessels were in the vicinity and that the tanker did not pose a threat to other vessels navigating in the area.
The latest string of commercial vessel piracy incidents unfolded on April 20 when Eunavor received an alert message from Puntland Maritime Police Forces reporting that a fishing vessel Alkhary 2 had been hijacked by a pirate action group. The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) issued a navigational warning to nearby ships.
Eunavor reported an incident of piracy involving the Motor Tanker HONOUR 25, located about 28 nautical miles southeast of Alkhary 2 on April 21. A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft from the Combined Maritime Forces later confirmed the tanker’s position within Somalia’s territorial waters.
Puntland Maritime Police Forces later reported that Alkhary 2 had been released and all crew members were safe but added that the pirates remained on board Honour 25.
Eunavor said its operational assets had reached the motor tanker on April 25 and gathered information about the situation on board.
Danish Institute for International Studies senior researcher, Jethro Norman, told the newspaper pirates were taking advantage of international navies diverting resources towards the Red Sea to deal with the Houthi attacks on vessels.
