Pirate attack off Mogadishu (V2)

(B2)Un bulk carrier flying the flag of Hong Kong was attacked on Tuesday 16 October in the Indian Ocean by a group of pirates.

The incident occurred 340 nautical miles off Mogadishu at 12:38 UTC, while the MV KSL Sydney came from the north.

« Four AK-47 armed pirates in a speedboat approached a bulk carrier says a maritime source. " The captain then sounded the alarm, contacted the local authorities, activated the SSAS [the ship's security alert system]. All the crew members gathered in the citadel. The armed guards aboard the ship returned fire. " The pirates then broke off their attack and moved away ».

« The vessel and its crew are safe and we are investigating the incident. assured the HQ of the anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta. " Nour units remain deployed in the area ". An alert was sent to ships sailing in the area by MSCHOA, the Merchant Navy Information Centre, located in Northwood (in the same premises as EUNAVFOR HQ).

This is the first piracy incident for several months. The last recorded took place on March 31 off the Gulf of Aden (read: A ship attacked off Yemen. Piracy or act related to the Yemeni conflict?). Another incident took place on February 22 when a Latvian chemical tanker had been attacked by pirates in the same area.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)