The European Union has deployed a warship to the Somali coast after a group of armed pirates tried to attack a commercial tanker near Mogadishu.

Maritime sources said the attack happened on Monday when armed men in a small boat fired at the tanker and tried to board it. The ship managed to escape without any casualties. It was the first suspected Somali piracy incident of this kind since 2024.

The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of ships passing through one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.

The same week, a Seychelles-flagged fishing vessel was approached by a speedboat, while another Iranian fishing boat was allegedly seized by unidentified assailants.

British maritime risk management firm Vanguard said it was highly likely the captured vessel was being used as a mothership to support further attacks.

In response, the EU’s naval mission Operation Atalanta said it was aware of the situation and had deployed a naval asset to the area. It declined to share further details for security reasons.

Another British maritime security company, Ambrey, stated that it was highly likely that a Somali Pirate Action Group was at sea and operating more than 300 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. The firm added that the ships targeted matched the usual patterns and methods used by Somali pirates in the past.

Piracy off Somalia’s coast had significantly declined in recent years after extensive international naval patrols and regional security efforts. However, the recent incidents have raised fears that Somali pirate gangs may be attempting to return to the seas.

Reference: Reuters