Somali pirates have successfully hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel, an incident that has triggered urgent warnings regarding the safety of commercial shipping in the region. The Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean reported that the vessel, identified as the Azini, was seized on Thursday while navigating between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia.
According to a maritime security officer with the Puntland Maritime Police Force, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the hijacking was carried out by 12 pirates. At the time of the seizure, the vessel was carrying a total of 23 people, consisting of 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. The current status and safety of the crew remain unknown, according to an alert issued by the security center on Saturday.
Officials have expressed significant concern that the hijacked boat could be repurposed as a “mother ship” to support and launch further attacks against commercial vessels in the area. The European Union’s naval Operation Atalanta is currently investigating the situation, and the security center has urged all ships operating in the region to maintain high levels of vigilance and report any suspicious activity.
This event marks a concerning resurgence of piracy across the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. By August, at least six commercial vessels had been hijacked since April, with some of these attacks occurring at significant distances from the Somali coastline. Notable incidents include the capture of the oil products tanker Sibu 1, which was seized approximately 136 nautical miles, or 252 kilometers, east of al-Mukalla, Yemen.
In a separate violent incident in September, authorities in Puntland reported that pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces were able to recover the ship. That vessel had been held since April, and officials confirmed that 16 suspected pirates were detained in the operation.
The renewed threat of piracy introduces additional risks to regional shipping, which is already coping with the fallout of the Iran war. Ongoing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen against Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb have severely complicated vital oil transport routes. These disruptions have led to significantly longer voyages and increased tanker costs, with some shipments diverted around Africa facing delays of up to a month and daily spot charter rates for tankers near the Strait of Hormuz reaching $1 million.
