Somalia: Patrols in Gulf of Aden Following Failed Pirate Hijacking

Somalia’s maritime police force has increased patrols in the Gulf of Aden following a failed pirate hijacking of a ship earlier this week.

The commander of the maritime force in Puntland, Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed, stated that patrols had doubled and were on a 24-hour rotation to deter pirates.

Meanwhile, the US military has captured five men who attempted to hijack an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of Yemen. The armed attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden.

After being pursued by the USS Mason, an American warship, the pirates gave up their attempt to flee in speedboats. As part of an increase in violence in the region brought on by the Israel-Hamas conflict, Yemeni Houthi rebels have recently launched attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

The Pentagon claims this latest attempt was carried out by Somali nationals. The Somali government has appealed for international support to deter a resurgence of piracy in the Horn of Africa. Somalia has been blighted by piracy for years, with the peak being in 2011, when over 160 attacks were recorded off the Somali coast.