Somali pirates have hijacked a commercial vessel named MV Basilisk, a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, according to the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Operation Atalanta. The incident occurred approximately 380 nautical miles east of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. At the time of the attack, MV Basilisk was sailing northward.
A tweet from Operation Atalanta late Thursday night alerted about the potential pirate attack on MV Basilisk. The situation marks the first such incident involving a warship of Operation Atalanta. The EU NAVFOR is considering initiatives for effective intervention.
Earlier Thursday night, Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) in the United Kingdom warned via Twitter about two skiffs carrying external personnel approaching a vessel in distress about 420 nautical miles southeast of the Somali coastal area of Marka. However, the exact number of individuals aboard the distressed vessel remains unconfirmed.
Authorities are investigating the incident, and UKMTO has instructed maritime traffic in the area to exercise caution.
According to information from the Maritime Traffic Monitoring Agency’s website, MV Basilisk departed from Mindelo Port in West Africa on May 3, bound for Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel was expected to arrive there on May 29.
A spokesperson from Minmarine MPP Ship Management, the operating company of MV Basilisk, confirmed that the crew had taken refuge in the citadel following the pirate attack. The vessel has a total of 17 crew members.
Earlier last year in November, the Indian Navy successfully rescued another hijacked vessel named MV Rujeen, freeing it from pirates off the coast of India. Additionally, in March last year, MV Abdullah, another hijacked vessel carrying coal from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates, was released after approximately 33 days, along with its 23 crew members.
