Mogadishu (AX) – Armed pirates have hijacked an Iranian-owned fishing vessel off the northeastern coast of Somalia, raising fears that the group could use it as a floating base to launch attacks on large commercial ships.
The Indian Ocean Maritime Security Centre of Operations (MSCIO), run by the European Union Naval Force, said the pirates boarded the vessel, named Azini, at around 0900 UTC near coordinates 09°42’N, 053°55’E, approximately 185 nautical miles east of Bandarbayla, Somalia.
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The official condition of the vessel’s crew remains unknown.
A police official from Puntland told The Associated Press that 12 pirates had seized the vessel and its 23 crew members, comprising 21 Iranian fishermen and two Somali guards.
MSCIO said Azini bore the characteristics of vessels previously used by Somali pirates as floating bases. Such vessels provide pirates with platforms from which to hide and launch attacks on cargo ships sailing farther offshore, beyond the reach of small speedboats.
By Saturday, the vessel had moved approximately 110 additional nautical miles east, reaching coordinates 09°47’N, 055°45’E, bringing it much closer to a major route used by international commercial shipping. MSCIO again warned that the fishing vessel could be used as a base from which the pirates organize operations.
The hijacking comes as concerns over the threat of piracy off Somalia have resurfaced, following several years of relative calm.
In August 2026, Turkish naval forces and the Somali National Army rescued the cargo vessel MV LATUF after it was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, Somalia’s Ministry of Defence announced.
The ministry said the joint operation destroyed four boats used by the group and killed 14 pirates. It also said sustained pressure from security forces forced the remaining pirates to flee the vessel.
Security forces later took full control of the vessel, which resumed its journey safely, according to the ministry.
The operation was carried out under the defence cooperation agreement between Somalia and Türkiye, which establishes a framework for joint efforts to protect Somalia’s coastline and combat piracy.
Somalia experienced a major wave of piracy between 2008 and 2018, when armed groups attacked commercial vessels and demanded ransom payments. The attacks declined sharply several years ago before re-emerging in late 2023, amid heightened security tensions in the region.
