Pirates hijack another vessel near the coast of Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Cases of piracy along Somalia’s lengthy coastline have continued to surge in recent weeks, with another vessel said to have been hijacked around the coast of Eyl in Puntland state, raising fears of the possible return of pirates in the Horn of Africa nation.

British Sea Trade Monitoring Agency announced on Friday that a vessel was hijacked on the coast of Somalia, which could potentially affect international shipping along the coast of Somalia, a country fighting for stability, over three decades later.

A dhow trading vessel was seized by heavily armed people near the town of Eyl off the coast of Somalia, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. It cited military authorities as the source of the information, Associated Press reports.

However, the agency did not give further details regarding the incident under active investigation. This is the third major case involving pirates within Somalia's vast coastline which enjoys multinational security surveillance.

The European Union’s Naval Force reported that a Maltese-flagged merchant vessel was hijacked in the nearby Arabian Sea last week and moved to the same area off Somalia’s coast. The bulk carrier Ruen had 18 crew onboard when it was hijacked near the Yemeni island of Socotra, around 240 kilometers (150 miles) off Somalia.

One crew member was evacuated to an Indian navy ship for medical care, the EU Naval Force said. Suspicion has also fallen on Somali pirates for that hijacking, although the EU force said the hijackers and their demands were unknown, AP adds.

The piracy is said to be triggered by the activities of Houthi rebels in Yemen who have resorted to antagonizing shippers in the Gulf of Eden and nearby areas, including the coast of Somalia. Israeli-linked vessels have been their major target due to the Israeli-Hamas war in the Middle East.

The Pentagon said last month that five armed assailants who hijacked a commercial ship near Yemen and were captured by U.S. forces were likely Somalis and that the attack — initially blamed on Houthi rebels — was “piracy-related.”

Patrols have been intensified in Somalia waters with the country also training Navy Corps who will assist in monitoring activities within the coastline. Compared with about a decade ago, cases of piracy in Somalia have, however, reduced substantially.

GAROWE ONLINE