Archive 2010: H. Banks / U.S. Navy (crop); not AZINI.
Somali pirates seized the Iranian fishing boat AZINI off northeastern Somalia on Thursday, October 29, with 23 people aboard, a Puntland maritime security officer told The Associated Press in a report published Sunday. European maritime authorities say the crew’s safety remains unknown and warn that the captured boat could be used as a base for further piracy.
The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean’s alert, dated Saturday, October 31, places the hijacking at approximately 9 a.m. UTC on October 29. Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s naval mission, is investigating. The notice describes an armed seizure of a fishing vessel, not a confirmed attack on a cargo ship.
The Puntland Maritime Police Force officer told AP that 12 pirates boarded the vessel between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. The 23 people aboard were 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards, according to the officer, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to address the media. MSCIO’s own alert does not give a crew count.
Warning concerns what the captured boat could do next
In an update, MSCIO said AZINI was approaching a maritime traffic lane and could potentially be used as a “mothership.” That would give pirates a floating base from which to support attacks farther offshore. The alert does not say the vessel has already been used to launch another attack.
MSCIO urged vessels in the area to maintain heightened vigilance, follow maritime security guidance and report suspicious activity. It has not announced the crew’s release or confirmed their condition.
The immediate issue is the safety of those aboard and the possibility of further piracy off Somalia. The warning does not announce a shipping-lane closure or establish a new disruption to commercial cargo movements.
JBizNews Desk | New York
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