Pirates hijack Iranian fishing vessel off Somalia’s northeastern coast

Mogadishu (HOL) – Armed pirates have hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel off Somalia’s northeastern coast, raising concerns that it could be used as a mothership to launch attacks on larger commercial ships.

The European Union Naval Force’s Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) said the pirates boarded the vessel, named Azini, at around 0900 UTC near coordinates 09°42’N, 053°55’E, approximately 185 nautical miles east of Bandarbayla, Somalia.

The safety of the crew remained unknown.

An officer with Puntland’s maritime police told The Associated Press that 12 pirates had seized the vessel and its 23 crew members, including 21 Iranian fishermen and two Somali security guards.

MSCIO said the Azini matched the profile of vessels Somali pirates have previously used as motherships. Such vessels provide pirates with mobile bases from which to launch attacks on larger merchant ships farther offshore, beyond the operating range of smaller speedboats.

By Saturday, the vessel had moved approximately 110 nautical miles farther east to coordinates 09°47’N, 055°45’E, bringing it closer to a major commercial shipping route. MSCIO reiterated its warning that the fishing vessel could be used as a pirate mothership.

The hijacking comes amid renewed concerns over piracy off Somalia, following several years of relative calm.

In August 2026, Turkish naval forces and the Somali National Armed Forces rescued the cargo vessel MV LATUF after it was hijacked off the Somali coast, according to Somalia’s Defence Ministry.

The ministry said four boats used by the pirates were destroyed and 14 pirates were killed during the joint operation. It added that sustained pressure from security forces forced the remaining pirates to abandon the vessel.

Security forces subsequently took control of the ship, which resumed its voyage safely, the ministry said.

The operation was conducted under a defence cooperation agreement between Somalia and Türkiye, which provides a framework for cooperation in protecting Somalia’s coastline and combating maritime piracy.

Somalia experienced a major wave of piracy between 2008 and 2018, with armed groups targeting commercial vessels and demanding ransoms. Attacks declined significantly for several years before re-emerging in late 2023 amid heightened security tensions in the region.