Piracy rears its head once more with another attack in the Gulf of Aden

Guy Martin

Chrystal_Arctic_pirates_EU_NavFor — Operation Atalanta forces apprehend pirates who attacked the MV Chrystal Arctic.

Half a dozen pirates have been apprehended by Operation Atalanta naval forces after an attempted attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, as Somali pirates continue to attack vessels in the region.

The European Union Naval Force’s (EU NavFor’s) Operation Atalanta said that on 10 May, the Marshall Islands-flagged product tanker Chrystal Arctic was attack by a skiff with suspected pirates on board while travelling 100 nautical miles north of Bosaso, Somalia. There was an exchange of fire between the ship’s security team and the suspected pirates.

After the attack was repelled, an Atalanta warship in the vicinity responded to the incident and apprehended six suspected pirates, who were treated for various injuries (presumably gunshot wounds).

After gathering evidence, the EU NavFor determined the incident was indeed a piracy attack, and one of the Atalanta vessels departed with the suspected Somali pirates for the Seychelles, “for further actions and the resolution of the process.”

The Seychelles is one of the nations in Atalanta’s area of operations with which Operation Atalanta has a legal agreement that allows for the trial of suspected pirates arrested by warships joining the operation, the EU NavFor explained.

According to the EU NavFor, there could be two or more pirate action groups (PAGs) operating off the wider Somalia coastline, which includes the semi-autonomous Puntland region. Two merchant vessels have already been highjacked since December, of which one was rescued by the Indian Navy, and the other reportedly released with its crew after a ransom was paid. Several smaller fishing vessels have also been hijacked by Somali pirates.

defenceweb.co.za

SUSPICIOUS APPROACH EAST OF THE GULF OF ADEN

Rota, 10 May 2024 – Operation ATALANTA confirms the suspicious approach to the Marshall Islands-flagged Merchant Vessel CHRYSTAL ARCTIC at 100 NM North of Bosaso (Somalia), with an exchange of fire between the security team of the Merchant Ship and a skiff with suspected pirates on board.

After the attack was repelled by the merchant ship private security team, one of ATALANTA warships in the vicinity has been the first actor to respond. Currently, the frigate has taken charge of the 6 suspected pirates, securing their physical integrity due to the unsafe condition of their skiff and treating some of them with injuries of varied severity.

ATALANTA forces are conducting the investigation on the event by gathering evidence for the assessment of the situation.

eunavfor.eu

Drone attack on diverted MSC Orion in Arabian Sea

Africa Ports & Ships

Red_Sea_Google — Bab-el-Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.

Reports by the Houthis in Yemen claim that a drone attack was successfully carried out on another MSC container ship, MSC Orion (IMO 9857157).

What is significant, apart from the attack, is that the Portuguese-flagged vessel was in the Arabian Sea some 375 miles off the Yemeni coast when struck by what appeared to be a drone.

The 366-metre long, 51 metre wide, 158 097-dwt ship was sailing between East Africa and the Omani port of Salalah when attacked, having apparently rounded the Cape to avoid having to travel through the Red Sea. MSC Orion departed from the Portuguese port of Sines on 6 April 2024 and was last reported by AIS passing the Comoros on 24 April 2024.

After the attack, wreckage from the drone was apparently discovered on the vessel. No serious damage was reported.

The UK Maritime Trade Organisations (UKMTO) and Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) are confirming the details of the attack on the MSC Orion which came overnight on 26 April but was only announced between April 29 and 30. According to the JMIC, the vessel was in the Indian Ocean approximately 300 nautical miles east-southeast of the Horn of Africa, or more than 170 nautical miles south of Socotra island. The UKMTO puts the vessel’s position up to 400 nautical miles from the mainland of Yemen.

The ship reported an explosion and found some debris believed to be from a “Uncrewed Aerial System.” The ship sustained some minor damage with the report that the crew was uninjured and that the ship was proceeding.

This appears to be the furthest from Houthi-controlled sections of Yemen that a missile or drone attack has been carried out.

It will also mean that no ship sailing in the Gulf of Aden or the Arabian Sea off the Yemen coast can be considered safe from attack.

The Houthis are believed to be using drones manufactured in Iran. Military experts report Iran has claimed a capability of over 650 nautical miles for its drones and possibly further for its missiles.

Considering that US reports early in the conflict between Israel and the Hamas in Gaza stated that the Houthis had fired missiles from Yemen in the direction of Israel, which the US claimed were shot down by US Navy ships in the Red Sea, these would also have been long-distance missiles.

MSC Orion, on charter to the Swiss/Italian company, is reported to be connected with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which in turn forms part of Israeli millionaire shipowner Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Her nominal ownership however is listed as Bafalo Shipping Inc, care of MSC in Switzerland, with ship management also in the hands of MSC via its Cyprus office. This has remained unchanged since the ship entered service in January 2020.

Written by Africa Ports & Ships with input from defenceWeb and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

defenceweb.co.za

Iranian Navy Escorts Ships to Ensure Economic Security: Navy Commander

Defense news

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Naval Forces are escorting the country’s ships in areas where enemies are present to safeguard maritime trade and economic security, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said.

“The Persian Gulf is now considered the most secure maritime point in the world, and we mainly escort our ships in areas such as the Gulf of Aden and the Atlantic Ocean,” Rear Admiral Irani told reporters on the sidelines of the Cultural and Artistic Festival of the National Persian Gulf Day on Monday.

He said that the Persian Gulf is a symbol of Iranian might, emphasizing the commitment of the Naval Force in escorting Iranian ships in regions where enemies of the Islamic Republic are present, ensuring the safety and security of sailors and merchants in fulfilling the country’s economic needs.

Irani said the country’s Navy had within less than 67 days established maritime dominance in the Persian Gulf during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war and cut off the “economic arteries” of the Iraqi Baathist enemy in the region.

He highlighted the key ports of Bandar Imam, Bushehr, and Khark Oil Terminal, which operated under complete security provided by the Navy, leading to significant victories bestowed upon the people by the armed forces.

Praising Iran’s military capabilities and numerous victories of the country’s armed forces, the Navy Commander reiterated the ongoing successes since the Sacred Defense era (Iran-Iraq war), the latest being Operation True Promise, in which the IRGC Aerospace Force on April 14 launched a wave of cruise and ballistic missiles and drones against military targets in the Israeli occupied territories in retaliation for the Israeli regime’s April 1 airstrike that killed seven Iranian military commanders and advisers in Syria.

tasnimnews.com