Somali Coast Guard arrests pirates hijacked Iranian vessel

US Navy/Jason R Zalasky Suspected pirates wait for members of the counter-piracy operation to board their boat.

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Somali Coast Guard officers have arrested suspected pirates along the Puntland coastline, just a few days after the US Marine Corps apprehended five others who had tried to hijack a vessel within the Gulf of Aden, leading to increased surveillance in the area.

According to Africa Defence Magazine, the pirates who hijacked an Iranian fishing boat surrendered to Somali officers after they were monitored by European Union Operation Atalanta assets.

On 22 November, the European Union Naval Force [EU Navfor] Joint Operations Centre was alerted by the Commander of the Somali Coast Guard about the abduction of an Iranian-flagged fishing dhow off the coast of Eyl [Puntland, Somalia], the Defense Magazine reports.

Initial reports indicate that the pirates are believed to have come from a local clan whose intention of hijacking the vessel is said to be their concern that Somali waters were being misused by foreign vessels without permission from the government.

Further reports indicate that the Somali pirates were demanding $ 400,000 for the release of the Al-Meraj I and its crew. Reports added that they threatened to use the vessel to attack more shipping if the ransom was not paid.

From the 22nd on, Operation Atalanta monitored the Al-Meraj I closely for more than 230 nautical miles away from the coast of Somalia, contributing to preventing the alleged pirates from posing any threat, EU Navfor said in a statement.

It added the operation included the deployment of an unarmed ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle from an Operation Atalanta warship. It is thought the vessel was not boarded because authorities were not sure if hostages were on board.

The Al-Meraj I, after losing its two towed skiffs and in poor weather, turned back towards the coast of Puntland and its crew surrendered to Somali police. This points to good cooperation between the EU Navfor task force, and the Somali authorities and stresses the relevance of the EU presence as continually contributing to freedom of navigation in waters where pirates once ran riot, the EU Navfor said on 1 December.

“Many of these Somali forces have participated in training exercises with EU Navfor warships, in cooperation with the EU Capacity Building Mission in Somalia [EUCAP Somalia]. The acquired knowledge and mutual trust ensured an effective and safe transfer,” EU Navfor added.

Piracy had been a major problem in Somali waters until around 2014 when many countries started deploying security teams to guard vessels. With the Al-Shabaab menace in Somalia and restlessness in Yemen, the cases have started spiraling in recent weeks along the Indian Ocean.

GAROWE ONLINE