A Liberia-flagged bulk carrier was boarded yesterday by armed individuals while underway in waters some 460 nautical miles off Somalia. Details of the name of the ship have yet to be revealed.
Somali pirates have been hijacking a number of vessels such as dhows in recent weeks and then targeting merchant ships passing by with a view to then demanding ransoms for kidnapped crews.
India’s navy said Friday it was monitoring the situation in the Arabian Sea after the ship had issued a hijacking distress call.
INS Chennai, a navy destroyer, was closing in on the vessel’s location to offer assistance.
In December, pirates seized the Maltese-flagged Ruen bulk carrier and its 18 crewmembers with ransom negotiations still underway.
“Merchant vessels are advised to avoid the area and to be vigilant given a number of recent hijackings off Puntland, Somalia,” stated an update from UK maritime security consultants Ambrey yesterday.
Piracy was rampant off Somalia for a four-year period from 2008 but then it went dormant for about five years.