A recent piracy attack on the German-managed general cargo vessel Basilisk was successfully thwarted.
All 17 crew members are reported to be safe and accounted for. One crew member was injured during the attack but is in stable condition and has received full medical attention.
The commercial ship Basilisk under Liberia flag was attacked on 23 May by pirates far off the coast of Somalia while en route to Jebel Ali, UAE, from Europe via the Cape of Good Hope. The incident occurred approximately 380 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu and way out of the HRA (high-risk area defined by the JWC / UKMTO).
EU Naval Force Operation ATALANTA has confirmed the successful liberation of the vessel and the safety of the crew. A Spanish navy ship, Canarias, responded to the distress situation.
Throughout the incident, constant communication with the shipowners and the Flag State and other relevant parties involved could be maintained.
This incident is part of a resurgence in Somali piracy since November 2023, paralleled by attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen. This followed a period of political instability in the Puntland region of Somalia.
Maritime risk management experts Ambrey reports several piracies attempts in recent months:
14 December 2023 The bulk carrier RUEN was hijacked. An Indian Navy operation freed the vessel and arrested 35 suspected pirates onboard.
4 January 2024 The bulk carrier LILA NORFOLK was boarded. The crew gathered in the citadel and the Indian Navy responded. The pirates departed before they could be arrested.
12 March 2024 The bulk carrier ABDULLAH was hijacked.
None of the above vessels that were boarded had armed security teams. Over the same period, armed security teams successfully repelled three additional suspected pirate action groups.
The pirates are operating at a distance. They have been hijacking dhows and using these to perform extended operations, even beyond the current Joint War Committee’s Indian Ocean Listed Area.
An image below shows suspected Somali pirate action group activity since November. This includes dhow-related activity (hijackings and suspicious approaches). The imagery shows the exclusive economic zones and the Indian Ocean listed area.
The Basilisk incident underscores the continuous threat of piracy in the region, highlighting the critical need for sustained vigilance and international cooperation to safeguard maritime operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.