MOGADISHU, March 31 — The European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta said on Tuesday that it has stepped up efforts to free the Iranian-flagged vessel Alwaseemi 786, which was hijacked last week by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
The EU naval force said the dhow was seized about 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, and may be used as a mothership to target commercial shipping. The vessel remains completely isolated, and any attempt to use it to attack larger vessels has been disrupted, it noted, adding that the dhow is proceeding eastward toward the Somali coast and is being closely monitored by Atalanta assets. The number and nationalities of the crew have not yet been established. The latest incident comes after the International Maritime Bureau urged vessels and their masters to remain vigilant while transiting along the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden, where piracy remains a threat. The African maritime industry along the Indian Ocean was previously heavily affected by piracy, which drove up shipping costs as insurance companies and private maritime security firms increased premiums to mitigate risks. Since Somali piracy is largely a hijack-for-ransom business, it relies heavily on onshore support infrastructure that provides food, water, fuel, and the leafy narcotic khat to militiamen guarding hijacked vessels during ransom negotiations.
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