Somali pirates hijack Iranian fishing boat off Puntland

Somali pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing boat off the northeastern Somali coast, the European Union Naval Force and security sources in Puntland said Saturday.

The vessel, named Azini, was seized at 0900 GMT on October 29 off the Somali coast between Bandar Beyla and Xaafun in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, according to an alert from the EU's Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean.

Puntland security officials confirmed the hijacking to AFP and said eight gunmen from a remote coastal area near Bandar Beyla carried out the attack. One security official said two Somali guards were on board but were outnumbered and overpowered.

A second security source said 21 crew members were aboard, excluding the two Somali guards. The maritime centre did not give a crew number and said their safety was unknown.

Security officials said four more gunmen later boarded the vessel, bringing the number of pirates aboard to 12. A Puntland security official said the hijackers took the fishing boat farther out to sea.

Azini is the third Iranian fishing boat to have been hijacked off Somalia since July. The maritime centre warned that the vessel could be used as a “mothership” for further piracy attacks.

Somali piracy has seen a resurgence, with at least 15 attacks reported since April, the highest number since 2013.