Pirates Release Dhow Seized off Somalia

The pirates have released the ocean going dhow that was hijacked on March 23rd in the vicinity of Eyl, Somalia, the IMB piracy reporting centre confirmed.

The dhow, which was feared it would be used as a mothership for further attacks on ships further offshore in the Somali waters, was released on Sunday, March 26th after the pirates stole one skiff along with food and diesel.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) reported that the dhow was sighted some 70nm off Qalansyia, Socotra Island, however, the whereabouts of the pirates are unknown.

As reported earlier, the dhow had three skiffs onboard. Following the attack, the pirates had released 13 crew members in one skiff, while the dhow with the remaining seven crew members and an unknown number of pirates sailed to an unknown location.

There have been no updates on the fate of the remaining crew members.

The vessel was previously identified as the ocean going dhow Casayr II operating out of Bosaso.

The ocean going dhow was the second vessel taken by the pirates over the past month. Earlier in March the Somali pirates hijacked the Comoros-flagged bunkering tanker Aris 13 some 18 km off the northern tip of Somalia, their first vessel since 2012.

Both vessels have been released, with no report of ransom being paid.

Earlier this week, in light of the recent attack EUNAVFOR cautioned the vessels “to remain vigilant in the Indian Ocean and stay within the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor as they transit through the Gulf of Aden.”

World Maritime News Staff