[News] A Malto-Bulgarian ship captured by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden (v2)

(B2) A Maltese-flagged ship was captured by pirates in the Indian Ocean on Thursday (December 14). It reached the Somali coast followed closely by the Spanish frigate of the European operation Atalanta.

The European Union Naval Force Joint Operations Center (EUNAVFOR) received an alert on Thursday (14 December) about the possible hijacking of the MV Ruen, a Maltese-flagged cargo ship managed by a Bulgarian company. The incident occurred in the middle of the Indian Ocean, approximately 500 nautical miles east of the island of Socotra. Leaving Gwangyang (South Korea) with a cargo of metals, with destination Gemlik in Turkey, it was captured, as its captain confirmed to the maritime forces.

The Spanish frigate Victoria, received orders to put the engines on and " to get closer as soon as possible » of the merchant ship. Objective stated: “ collect more information " and " evaluate other actions ". The CTF's Combined Maritime Forces are also notified.

The company's security officer claims to no longer have contact with the crew. The ship would have headed for Bossaso in Somalia, from which it is approximately 680 nautical miles, according to the latest information.

In the early hours of January 15, an Indian maritime patrol plane spotted the merchant ship and managed to establish radio communications with the crew. The 18 members of the crew were then well, locked in the citadel. But a few hours later, the situation completely changed. The pirates had managed to break into the citadel and took the crew prisoner.

On January 16, in the early hours of the 16th, a Japanese naval ship, the destroyer Akebono (DE-201), under the command of Combined Maritime Forces (Combined Task Force 151), and the Indian Navy ship, the destroyer INS Kochi (D64), arrived near the hijacked ship, joining the Victoria. Continuous exchanges of information took place between the ships present.

In the early morning of January 18, a member of the crew of the pirated boat had to be evacuated to theINS Kochi, to be treated there. The remaining Spanish frigate's medical team supportive, available, if necessary » specifies Atalanta HQ in Rota.

On Tuesday (December 19), according to the latest information, the MV Ruen was located between Eyl and the Xaafun peninsula (Somalia). The Spanish frigate was able to follow it permanently, even within Somali territorial waters, thanks to “an ad hoc authorization granted by the Somali federal government”. In the afternoon, he left the area for logistical reasons, in the afternoon.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

V2 - updated with tracking information between January 15-19