A cargo ship was boarded by suspected pirates off Yemen on Thursday in the latest sign of renewed piracy activity across the wider region.
Initial reports from the EU Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) described the incident as a hijacking, but subsequent UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and MSCIO updates indicate the attackers failed to seize the vessel.
MSCIO reported a piracy incident at approximately 09:18 UTC on September 10, 38 nautical miles southwest of Balhaf, Yemen.
MSCIO issued alert that the vessel had been hijacked by a pirate action group (PAG).
The monitoring authority issued an alert about the vessel that appeared to have been boarded while assets assigned to the EU operation ATALANTA were investigating the situation.
According to the company security officer, following the reported approach by an armed boat with approximately six persons onboard, the crew proceeded to the citadel as a precautionary security measure.
A subsequent search of the vessel confirmed that no pirates or unauthorized persons were found onboard. MSCIO said the situation had been resolved, and all crew members were reported safe and well.
MSCIO advised vessels operating in the area to maintain heightened vigilance, adhere to BMP-MS, and report immediately any suspicious activity or relevant information to MSCIO and UKMTO.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also received a report of a cargo vessel being approached by an unidentified skiff off Yemen on Thursday.
The incident occurred 98 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukalla, Yemen.
The UKMTO said the ship’s company security officer reported that the vessel had been approached by an unidentified skiff.
UKMTO advised vessels operating in the area to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity while authorities investigate the incident.
