Ships face growing threat from Somali pirates, EU warns

The threat to merchant shipping from Somali piracy is increasing, with four groups potentially operating on the country’s coastline, the EU said. 

“Utmost vigilance is advised when navigating off the Somali coast,” the European Union’s Naval force in the region said in an update. 

On Thursday a vessel that was hijacked and taken to the country’s coastline in December began sailing east, a sign that it could be used as a mothership for more hijacks in the region, according to security provider Ambrey Analytics. On the same day another vessel which was boarded and diverted this week arrived near the Somali coast. 

Somali piracy has been on the rise since late last year when a vessel was successfully hijacked for the first time since 2017. The increase has coincided with a spate of attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea that has forced a significant chunk of the global fleet to sail around the coast of Africa, rather than use the Suez Canal route, while also keeping naval forces occupied.

Ships have been attacked at 600 miles or more from the Somali coast, and pirates are believed to be operating in a zone that spans more than 1,000 miles, the EU said. It added that the attackers are currently in possession of at least seven small vessels and two large merchant vessels with which they can conduct their attacks.