Commercial ship ‘hijacked by pirates’ and sails towards Somalia: Crew ‘no longer in control’ as Spanish warship moves to intercept
- The Maltese-flagged MV Reun has been ‘hijacked by pirates’
- It is currently on its way to Somalia as the crew is out of control
- The EU Navy’s Victoria ship is ready to investigate the incident
A commercial ship has been hijacked and is currently sailing towards Somalia, Britain’s Marine Trade Operations said.
The nautical service said the crew of MV Reun is no longer in control of the ship, although they are all currently safe.
The ship is currently approximately 680 nautical miles east of Bosaso, Somalia. It is not known at this time how many sailors are on board.
Spanish warships have been deployed to investigate the hijacking, the EU’s Anti-Somali Piracy Force said.
“Based on the first information available on the MV Ruen, the Spanish flagship Victoria of EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA is moving rapidly towards the alleged pirate hijacked ship to gain further awareness and evaluate next actions,” the EU force said in a statement to Reuters.
The crew of MV Reun (pictured) is no longer in control of the ship, although they are all currently safe
The EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta flagship Victoria (pictured) is en route to Somalia to investigate the possible hijacking
The statement added that it was coordinating with the wider international naval Combined Maritime Force.
The Maltese-flagged ship, a bulk carrier 180 meters long and 30 meters at its widest point, is operated by Bulgaria’s Navigation Maritime Bulgare, according to data from public shipping database Equasis.
Records from MarineTraffic.com show that the ship, built in 2016, was intercepted while en route from Gwangyang in South Korea to Gemlik in Turkey.
The ship’s capture appears to be the first major attack by Somali pirates since 2019, after anti-piracy efforts by international navies halted such seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
The Victoria, the ship responsible for the research, is a frigate that was commissioned in 1987 and is over 130 meters long and 46 meters at its widest point.
The ship has a maximum speed of 29 knots, or approximately 53 km/h, and can carry up to 233 sailors, including 13 officers.
It has the capacity to carry up to 32 SM-1MR air-to-ship missiles, and up to eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
The Victoria also carries an OTO Melara naval gun, which can fire up to 85 shells per minute, with each shell carrying a 13-pound warhead.
Operation Atalanta is the EU’s ongoing military operation against piracy off the Horn of Africa, which aims to protect commercial ships bound for Somalia.
It also protects ships from the World Food Program and the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Atalanta was the EU’s first-ever naval operation, which claims to have arrested 171 pirates as a result of the military operation.
MailOnline has contacted Navigation Maritime Bulgare for comment.