A German-managed multipurpose vessel has been secured following an unsuccessful hijacking attempt offshore Somalia.
The Liberia-flagged MPP Basilisk was boarded Thursday using two small boats by the Somali Pirate Action Group (PAG) some 401 nautical miles (742km) southeast of Mogadishu.
The 2013-built vessel under the care of Minmarine MPP Shipmanagement was on its way from Porto Grande, Cape Verde, to the UAE’s Jebel Ali port and had an estimated 4.5m freeboard at the time.
The crew retreated to the citadel and remained safe while the vessel continued to drift. The master, who had not retreated to the citadel, was reportedly shot in the arm, but the injury was non-life-threatening.
One of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA warships responded to the incident and later confirmed that no unauthorised personnel were onboard.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said that due to the crew’s discipline, remaining in the citadel, the PAG was unsuccessful in hijacking the vessel, and left before the military arrived on the scene.
Somali pirates had been dormant until the hijacking of the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Almeraj 1 late last year, when activity started to pick up again. A Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier, Abdullah, was hijacked in March and released about a month later after a $5m ransom was paid.
There have been two piracy-related incidents offshore Somalia in the past 24 hours. A Panama-flagged general cargo ship also issued a piracy-related distress call 220 nautical miles northeast of Eyl. Ambrey said Friday that three dhows reportedly approached the ship over five hours.
