The pirates have captured two fishing boats: not sure!
(B2) News that a South Korean fishing vessel, flying the flag of Mongolia, was captured by Somali pirates on Saturday (May 27) is not accurate, a European military source confirmed to B2. " This ship is safe and sound. We have received confirmation that the news of the hacking of a South Korean fishing boat is false ».
False alarm
South Korea had sounded the alert on Saturday after losing contact with this large ship, weighing 234 tons, when it said it was being chased by a suspicious boat, near the Somali coast. She ordered her ship Cheonghae to proceed to the suspect area. And three planes (a German, Japanese and Indian P3 Orion) were put on alert. This device made it possible fairly quickly to re-establish contact with the South Korean captain. The crew included 3 South Koreans and 18 Indonesians.
No news from an Iranian ship
As for the Iranian fishing boat, captured by the pirates, the situation is less obvious. The ship, which has 20 crew members on board, was reportedly seized by Somali pirates off Qandala last Tuesday (May 23), then taken to this port in Puntland (the autonomous region of northern Somalia, according to John Steed, Head of East Africa for Oceans Behond Piracy (OBP), as reported by AFP and Reuters. However, until now this capture has not been confirmed by the EUNAVFOR Atalanta operation. " We are working with the Somali authorities and our anti-piracy partners to obtain as much information as possible regarding this 'possible' incident. As long as it is not confirmed, this incident is not classified as an act of piracy »
The delicate question of Iranian ships ...
Comment: European anti-piracy authorities have always taken the announcements of captures of Iranian fishing vessels with caution. On the one hand, Iran is the only country not to be part of the international anti-piracy coordination (which brings together the Europeans and Americans, the Russians and the Chinese or the Koreans). This does not facilitate relations. On the other hand, Iranian ships have continued to shuttle Somalia, even in the most sensitive times of piracy. Finally, everyone wondered about some more than dubious "captures". Certain ships (particularly Yemeni but also Iranian) were thus suspected not of having been hostages of the pirates but consenting and chartered by them to serve as mother ships (and even interested in the captures).
... and fisheries in Somali waters
These incidents, involving large foreign fishing vessels, are also related to the protection of the Somali fishing zone. Somali waters seem to be very popular with fishing vessels from all walks of life, who do not hesitate to go to these very fish-rich areas (1), without really worrying about the fees to be paid to Somalia (2) or the fate of the local populations who see with fear these ships "looting" what they consider to be their resources.
Quite artisanal piracy
Be that as it may, we are currently witnessing a slight upsurge in acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia. " This is disproportionate to what we observed in the 2010s. We are more faced with an artisanal phenomenon, of opportunism of action A senior European officer told B2. " But we must remain vigilant in the face of these movements. Somali piracy has not been completely eradicated. The takeover of actions on an industrial scale, led by very well organized criminal networks, is always possible. »
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
(1) Waters naturally rich in fauna of all kinds and, even more, after years of "fallow" due to piracy.
(2) The Somali Exclusive Economic Zone is still open to discussion
