News

EUNAVFOR Atalanta forces confirmed that the suspected Somali pirates abandoned the Iranian-flagged dhow 'Al Waseemi' after having held the vessel and its crew for nearly two weeks. Assets deployed to the EUNAVFOR operation had been tracking the vessel and pressuring the pirates while not moving in because of concerns for the safety of the hostage crew. EUNAVFOR Atalanta deployed the 'Emilio Bianchi' and the Spanish frigate 'Canarias' as part of its monitoring operations in the Western Indian Ocean. The first of the vessels had located the dhow approximately 480 nautical miles southwest of Mogadishu on March 27, 2026, about 48 hours after they received the first report of the hijacking. The warships closed in, with one beginning the surveillance using air assets on March 27 and the second arriving on March 30. At that point, EUNAVFOR reported the dhow had been isolated, and they believed it was no longer a threat to shipping. On March 24, they warned that the modus operandi reflected a high likelihood that the pirates planned to use the fishing boat as a mothership in an attempt to pirate larger vessels. The teams continued to monitor the dhow and coordinated with the Somali maritime police forces ashore. Using surface and air assets, EUNAVFOR says it continued to pressure the hijackers with its presence, and they finally abandoned the dhow. The naval forces boarded the dhow on April 5 to ensure the security of the crew. They provided food, water, and medical care. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/pirates-abandon-iranian-dhow-after-being-hounded-by-eunavfor-for-a-week

While underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in Singapore Strait (SS), the 'Darya Tina', enroute from Ngqura to Tianjin with an ETA as of March 29, 2026, was boarded by four unarmed perpetrators about 6.5 nautical miles off Pulau Cula, in pos. 1° 04' N 103° 36' E on March 18 at around 01.30 a.m. No one was injured, and nothing was reported stolen.

On Dec 13, 2025, the 'Viva' was attacked by a three Russian Geran-3- drones off Pivdinniy in open waters within Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone, approximately 20 nautical miles off the Ukrainian coast, beyond the reach of the countrie's air defence systems. Ukraine accused Russia of violating international maritime law by striking a civilian commercial vessel. The navy confirmed that all 11 Turkish crew members were safe, and that no injuries were reported. The vessel was struck near the accommodation block, but a fire could ve quickly contolled by the swift reaction of the crew. The 'Viva'remained seaworthy and continued its voyage from Ukraine to Alexandria with a cargo of sunflower oil. The Ukrainian authorities were in direct contact with the captain to monitor the situation.

An alleged robbery incident took place at the Eko Support Terminal in the Apapa Port Complex, Lagos. Robbers reportedly attacked the 'Zy Juhe' on March 15, 2026 at about 4:00 a.m. The perpetrators escaped by jumping overboard and fleeing in a speedboat after the vessel’s alarm system was activated. The attackers allegedly removed five tins of paint from the vessel’s aft store as well as a mobile phone belonging to a crew member. Preliminary observations suggested that the perpetrators did not gain access to the vessel with the aid of a ladder.Poor lighting around the paint store area may have contributed to the security breach. Safety personnel on board the vessel immediately raised the alarm and blew whistles, but the signal was not loud enough to attract attention from nearby security personnel. Tthe stolen items were later thrown into the sea when the alarm was triggered.

While underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait (SS), the 'Aristoteles Graecia', en route from Singapore to Dalian, was boarded by four perpetrators, armed with knives, about 2.4 nautical miles off Pulau Cula, in pos. 1° 29' N 103° 37.7' E on March 19, 2026, at 03.45 a.m. The intruders stole engine spares, no injuries were reported.