Somali law enforcement and international maritime forces were gearing up on Monday to take action against a commercial vessel seized by pirates last week, according to the police force of the Puntland region. This comes just two days after Indian special forces rescued another cargo ship held by pirates.
The MV Abdullah was captured off the Somali coast last week, marking the latest in a series of over 20 attacks since November by Somali pirates who had been inactive for nearly ten years.
Over the weekend, the Indian navy successfully liberated another cargo vessel, the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen, which had been commandeered in December. This operation led to the release of its 17 crew members and the apprehension of 35 pirates.
The police force of Puntland, a semi-autonomous area known as a hub for pirate activity, declared readiness and heightened alertness, expressing readiness to engage in an operation against the pirates who have seized the Abdullah.
According to a statement from the police, “Puntland police forces stand prepared upon receiving intelligence that international naval forces are planning an intervention.”
As of now, the Indian navy, known for thwarting numerous attempted hijackings, has not provided a comment on the situation.
On Sunday, Puntland police reported the interception of a vehicle transporting the narcotic khat intended for supply to the pirates aboard the Abdullah.
During the peak of their attacks in 2011, Somali pirates inflicted an estimated $7 billion in losses on the global economy, largely due to ransom payments amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
(Reporting by Abdiqani Hassan and Abdi Sheik; Writing by Giulia Paravicini; Editing by Aaron Ross and William Maclean)
