Somalian Pirates Attempt To Seize Super Seiner Intertuna Tres

Last week, Somali pirates, who have been on a rampage lately, attempted to attack the super seiner ‘Intertuna Tres.’ On November 2, the crew of the tuna vessel spotted a speedboat approaching them from a mothership, believed to be the Iranian-flagged ‘Issa Mohamadi’, which was hijacked by the pirates last month. Security forces onboard ‘Intertuna Tres’ immediately fired shots at the pirates’ speedboat, after which they returned to the mothership, reported new sites. The crew members were reportedly unharmed. ‘Intertuna Tres’ is a 101-meter-long Seychelles-flagged vessel owned by Mahe-based Interatun L.T.D., part of the Albacora Group, and operates in the IOTC convention area.

Piracy activity off the coast of Somalia has flared sharply since late October. Last week, a Spanish frigate (small warship) freed a Maltese merchant boat that was seized by Somali pirates. The frigate operated under Operation Atalanta, an ongoing EU-helmed counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean.