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Pirates have surrendered
Suspected pirates aboard the hijacked 'Al Meraj I' have surrendered to Somali police after being monitored by European Union Operation Atalanta assets. On Nov 22, 2023 the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) Joint Operations Centre was alerted by the Commander of the Somali Coast Guard about the abduction of the fishing dhow off the coast of Eyl. The pirates weare thought to have come from a local clan, and their attack on the fishing vessel was in response to claims of the fishing vessel operating within Somali territorial waters. The Somalis were demanding $400 000 for the release of the 'Al Meraj I' and its crew. They threatened to use the vessel to attack more shipping if the ransom was not paid. From Nov 22 on, Operation Atalanta monitored the vessel closely for more than 230 nautical miles away from the coast of Somalia, contributing to prevent the alleged pirates from posing any threat. The operation included the deployment of an unarmed ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle from an Operation Atalanta warship. It is thought the vessel was not boarded because authorities were not sure if hostages were on board. The 'Al Meraj I', after losing its two towed skiffs and in poor weather, turned back towards the coast of Puntland, and its crew surrendered to Somali police.
Dhow hijacked off Somalia
The 'Almeraj 1' has been hijacked by Somali clan militia off Eyl, marking the first pirate activity off the Somalian coastline for many years. Commercial shipping has been advised to stay outside of Somalian territorial waters because of the danger. A ransom demand of $400,000 had been made, along with threats to use the ship for additional hijackings if the payment is not made. EUNAVFOR ‘s Operation Atalanta has received information about the vessel and was “actively working to establish the facts”. The reason given for the hijacking was that the dhow-type vessel had been fishing illegally. Somalia has strict fishing regulations, and no foreign ships can operate within its waters without its approval. The militia claimed they had requested assistance from authorities, which was reportedly not forthcoming, so they took control of the vessel. The 'Almeraj 1' had sailed from Chabahar in October. It looked to have conducted intermittent fishing operations within Somali territorial waters over a period of about a month. The vessel was descibed as a Jelbut-style round-stern dhow with a white and blue superstructure at the stern. It also has two Somali-style white-hulled skiffs with single outboard engines. It said that merchant shipping was advised to avoid the area, to be vigilant in case of a sighting, and to implement counter-piracy Best Management Practices.
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