Assailants attack tanker off Somalia in suspected pirate strike

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LONDON (Reuters) -Armed assailants attacked a commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu on Monday, firing at the vessel after attempting to board the ship in the first suspected Somali piracy incident of its kind since 2024, maritime sources said.

If confirmed, this would be the first Somali piracy attack against a merchant ship since May 2024, raising risks for critical energy and goods transported through the region, maritime sources said.

The vessel was sailing some 332 nautical miles (615 km) off the Somali coast when four armed attackers approached in a skiff from the starboard side and opened fire, British maritime risk management group Vanguard said in a note.

“The crew raised the alarm, increased speed, and conducted evasive maneuvers. The embarked armed security team onboard responded effectively, deterring the attack and preventing any damage or injury.”

Vanguard and a maritime security source said the vessel targeted was the Cayman Islands-flagged chemical tanker Stolt Sagaland.

The vessel’s operator Stolt-Nielsen confirmed there was an attempted attack on the Stolt Sagaland, early on November 3, which was unsuccessful. 

“Our crew are all safe, having responded swiftly and professionally to the incident,” the company said.

The European Union’s naval mission said it was investigating the incident. The naval force said on October 28 it had received an alert about the possible presence of a pirate action group around the Somali coast.

“Ships required to transit the area are advised to (exercise) extreme caution, maintain full vigilance,” the EU’s force said.

Sailings through the Red Sea, which leads into the Gulf of Aden, have slumped since Yemen’s Iran-affiliated Houthi militia first launched attacks on commercial ships in November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war in Gaza.

While the Houthis have agreed to a truce on targeting U.S. linked shipping, many shipping companies remain wary of resuming voyages through those waters.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Conor Humphries)