EU naval force takes vessel used in Somalia pirate attack

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A Cypriot Underwater Demolition Team member (MYK) conducts maritime Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) training using an FN SCAR 16 carbine alongside members of US Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Europe (NSWTU-E) in Cyprus, Thursday Sept. 9th, 2021. (U.S. Army Photo by Warrant Officer Patrik Orcutt via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service - DVIDS)

NAIROBI  -  A European Union naval mission has taken control of an Iranian-flagged dhow used by pirates last week to attack an oil products tanker off the coast of Somalia and later abandoned.

A recent spate of attacks on vessels off the Horn of Africa, including the first in a year by suspected Somali pirates, has rekindled concerns over the security of shipping lanes carrying critical energy and goods to global markets.

The crew of the dhow are safe and in good condition, said the EU naval force, known as Operation Atalanta, adding that it was working with Somali authorities to track down the pirates.

"The dhow, abandoned by the alleged pirates on the northwestern coast of Somalia, was closely tracked and monitored by the operation's flagship ... and an Indian Navy warship," it said in a statement on Tuesday. 

"The pirate ... group operating in the area has been definitely disrupted."

The pirates had seized the dhow, a fishing vessel, early this month and used it days later to board the Maltese-flagged tanker, the Hellas Aphrodite, carrying gasoline to South Africa from India.

The EU naval force secured the tanker on Friday.

 (Reporting by Vincent Mumo Nzilani and George Obulutsa; Editing by Alexander Winning and Clarence Fernandez // REUTERS)