EUNAVFOR Atalanta reports that the Yemini-flagged fishing boat Al Najma was released by pirates who had boarded the vessel earlier in the week. The crew of the fishing boat confirmed that the alleged pirates abandoned the vessel after stealing personal objects and two skiffs belonging to the dhow and as forces from the Atalanta operation approached the hijacked vessel.
“The immediate presence of ATALANTA forces in the area, especially the helicopter, was decisive in the fishing vessel liberation,” writes EUNAVFOR Atalanta. It reports that naval and air assets were deployed in the area, conducted an intensive search, and succeeded in locating the dhow which had been reported as hijacked on February 9. The attack took place off Eyl, on the northern coast of the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia.
They highlighted the involvement of a Japanese maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft in this operation along with the Combined Maritime Force. They also closely coordinated with the Somali forces and the Yemeni Coast Guard.
The Al Najma was released when sailing very close to the Somali coast. The incident is again being classified as an armed robbery at sea because the pirates kept the vessel in territorial waters. A similar case happened in December 2024 when a Chinese fishing vessel was also seized off Somalia.
After the Yemeni vessel was released, the naval forces went aboard for a security check and to confirm the condition of the 12 individuals aboard the vessel. No one was reported injured during the incident.
The Atalanta boarding team also proceeded to collect all possible evidence of the incident, which is still under investigation. The operation in the past has been successful in apprehending some of the pirates and turning them over to the local authorities for prosecution. Last year, Atalanta apprehended six individuals during an incident. Since the operation began in 2009, it reports a total of 177 pirates have been transferred to competent authorities with 145 convicted.
After the Yemeni dhow was freed, it reported a malfunction of its engine. The teams from Atalanta assisted the vessel.
EUNAVOR Atalanta continues to warn vessels in the region to remain vigilant to any piracy-related events. The activity resumed in November 2023 after a long pause. Atalanta received reports of 23 incidents to the end of 2024. It, however, noted in previous reports that there were an unknown number of unreported/unconfirmed incidents involving dhows and smaller vessels.
