| Accident | : Vessel Hijacked |
| Vessel Involved | : Iranian Fishing Vessel |
| Date | : 22nd November 2015 |
| Location | : Off northern Somali city of Eyl |
| Crew Members Onboard | : 15 |
The director of the anti-piracy and seaport ministry in Puntland confirmed that an Iranian fishing vessel was hijacked on Sunday evening off northern Somali city of Eyl. “Pirates hijacked an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with its 15 crew from near Eyl.”
On Monday, a Somali official and a maritime expert warned that piracy might be making a comeback in the Indian Ocean.
Shipping firms hiring private security details and the presence of international warships has reduced the Piracy attacks near Somalia’s Coast in the last three years. But still piracy occurs occasionally.
Confirming the news East Africa region manager for the Oceans Beyond Piracy group said – “This indicates that the level of illegal fishing is bringing the threat of the return of Somali piracy ever closer.”
In a report published in October, the U.N. Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group said it was “concerned that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by foreign vessels may re-establish the conflict dynamic with local fishing communities that contributed to the rise of piracy a decade ago”.
Earlier, two other Iranian fishing ships were captured by suspected pirates in March. The 16 crew from one boat managed to raise anchor and escape in August, but the other ship and 26 crew remain in captivity.
Source: Reuters
