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EUNAVFOR fregates forced pirates to abandon hijacked dhow
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
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