The attack on a chemical tanker off the east coast of Somalia in late October brought piracy in the region once more into focus. However, it seems likely to have been a one-off, according to Dryad Maritime.
The incident was the first reported attack on a merchant vessel off the Somali coast for two and a half years, according to EU Naval Force (Somalia) – EUNavfor. It occurred on 22 October when the CPO Korea was reported as being attacked by six armed men, some 330 nautical miles off the coast.
A number of shots were exchanged between the attackers on their skiff and an armed security team on board the tanker with the pirates breaking away after CPO Korea’s crew ’successfully implemented self-protection measures by increasing speed, altering course and rigging fire hoses to thwart the attack’.
Some details of the attack suggest it may have been an isolated incident, said Mike Edey, Dryad’s head of operations. In the past, Somali pirates would continue to attack a ship until they were successful or were disrupted by naval forces.
Additionally he said there was no further activity reported in the area, including in the period after the incident occurred, when ‘we know there were other ships transiting through, some without armed guards embarked, and these were not attacked’.
Edey also pointed to the fact that the skiff had not attacked fishing boats, frequent targets last year and during the height of Somali piracy. These were among the reasons he believes it to be a one-off, though he added that ‘mariners need to maintain their counter-piracy precautions’.