DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Authorities reported on Monday that suspected Somali pirates abandoned a Yemeni fishing boat they had taken control of off the Horn of Africa after five days of operation.
A European naval force known as EUNAVFOR Atalanta released a statement detailing that the pirates initially launched their attack on February 17, targeting a traditional dhow vessel near the town of Eyl in Somalia.
The seized boat, named Saytuun-2, remained under the pirates’ control until the following Saturday. According to EUNAVFOR, the pirates were equipped with ladders and weaponry, indicating their potential intentions to hijack additional vessels while using the fishing boat as a platform.
The naval force noted, “The fishing vessel was vacated by the alleged pirates after they stole some of the crew’s belongings.” Fortunately, the crew of the Saytuun-2 is now safe and free from captivity.
This incident coincides with another recent attack on a different Yemeni fishing boat, where the pirates also fled, leaving the mariners unharmed.
Piracy incidents off the Somali coastline peaked in 2011, with reports of 237 attacks that year. At that time, piracy was estimated to have had a significant economic impact, costing the global economy approximately $7 billion, which included $160 million paid in ransom, as stated by the monitoring group Oceans Beyond Piracy.
The threat of piracy has waned in subsequent years due to heightened international naval patrols, strengthening governance in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, and other preventative measures.
However, the frequency of attacks by Somali pirates has increased notably over the past year. Contributing factors include the instability created by assaults by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea corridor due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
In 2024 alone, the International Maritime Bureau reported seven piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia, highlighting a concerning resurgence in maritime crime in the region.
