Ship attacked by people on a boat off Somalia

TThe ship’s captain reported on the encounter and explained that self-protection measures were initiated when the small boat approached. However, the armed people on board the boat began firing at the ship, prompting a quick response from the ship’s armed security team.

According to a warning from Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations, the attack occurred about 195 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen, at 04:57 a.m. British security firm Ambrey provided further insight, saying the ship reported a suspicious approach from a small blue-hulled boat located about 92 nautical miles northwest of Bosaso, Somalia.

UKMTO ALERT INCIDENT 071 ATTACK – Update 001

The captain of a MS reports that a small boat with 5 – 6 people on board came towards him with weapons and laddershttps://t.co/fX3hWupi7g#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/Oysks8FIiA

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) May 10, 2024

In response to the impending danger, the ship changed course and sounded its horn as a warning signal. At the same time, the armed guards on board fired two defensive shots. Despite the ship’s defensive measures, the small ship persisted in its approach and returned fire before ultimately aborting its mission.

Fortunately, both the ship and its crew survived the encounter uninjured. After the thwarted attack, the ship continued its journey and headed to its next port of call under the watchful supervision of its crew and security team.

As a reminder, the EU Naval Force ATALANTA has issued an update on the threat of piracy off the coast of Somalia following an increased number of reported incidents. Atalanta assesses the threat off the Somali coast as moderate (although an attack is realistic). However, taking into account the occurrence of previous significant attacks on merchant vessels within 12 days of reports of dhow hijackings and the recent reports of several barges each carrying armed individuals with the intention of hijacking dhows to facilitate attacks on larger vessels .

It is critical that ships operating in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, particularly those within 700 nautical miles of the Somali coast, comply with BMP5 recommendations. All incidents should be reported immediately to MSCHOA and the UKMTO. In addition, it should be emphasized that ships registered with MSCHOA receive near real-time information about security incidents in their area.