The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency recently reported that a merchant ship was boarded about 420 nautical miles southeast of Merca, Somalia. There has been an increase in pirate activity, which had been quiescent since 2018, since late last year. The European Union’s anti-piracy task force in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, known as Operation Atalanta, raised the alarm about a potential pirate attack on the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Basilisk near the Somali coast. Somali pirates previously wreaked havoc along the lengthy coastline of the east African country from 2008 to 2018. However, they had been inactive until late last year when there was a resurgence in pirate activity. The EU task force stated that the suspected assault occurred around 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, while the vessel was traveling northward. “One of the Atalanta ships nearby was the first respondent. EUNAVFOR ATALANTA is taking the necessary measures to address the situation,” the statement read. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency had earlier received a report of a vessel being boarded 420 nautical miles southeast of Merca, Somalia. According to UKMTO, an undisclosed number of unauthorized individuals from two small boats reportedly boarded the vessel. (Reporting by George Obulutsa in Nairobi and Bhargav Acharya in Johannesburg; Editing by Alexander Winning and Marguerita Choy)
