Somali pirates engaged in fierce exchanges of fire with the security guards of merchant ships

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After the EU Navy (EUNAVFOR) raised the pirate threat level in the waters around Somalia from "low" to "Substantial" last week, it was unexpected that the warning soon became a reality.

According to the latest information, in the early morning of November 3rd local time, a chemical tanker "Stolt Sagaland" belonging to Stolt Tankers was attacked by armed pirates about 332 nautical miles away from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

According to the alert (No. 039-25) issued by the UK Maritime Trade Action Centre (UKMTO), the captain reported that a small gray and white boat set off from the mother ship, and four unidentified armed personnel on board attempted to board. The attack occurred at about 02:20 a.m. (UTC), 332 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.

Security firm Vanguard Tech said the pirates opened fire about 0.05 nautical miles away from the chemical tanker, forcing the crew to activate defense procedures, accelerate and take evasive actions. The security team on board immediately fired back and successfully forced the pirates to retreat.

The crossfire lasted for several minutes, with no casualties and no damage to the ship. After the attack, the small boat returned to the mother ship about 5 nautical miles to the east. The UKMTO confirmed that the vessel has safely escaped and continued its voyage to the next port.

According to the latest notification from the Indian Ocean Maritime Safety Centre (MSCIO) under the EU's "Eunav for Atalanta", starting from late October, The southern waters of the Somali Peninsula (from Bereeda to Mereg, within 100 nautical miles from the shore) have been assessed as a "Substantial" risk area - meaning the probability of vessels being attacked is between 55% and 75%.

The threat level in the northern and northwestern parts of the peninsula (from Bereeda to Laasgoray) is "Moderate", with an attack probability of approximately 40% to 50%. Further west into the Gulf of Aden, the risk level drops to "Low".

MSCIO data shows that since November 2023, a total of 48 security incidents have occurred in the region, including suspicious approaches, armed robberies and hijackings.

Somali piracy peaked between 2008 and 2012 and has since nearly vanished due to international escort and regional crackdowns. However, since the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea region in 2023, some armed groups along the Somali coast have made a comeback.

These pirates often use hijacked fishing boats or Dhows as their mother ships, disguise themselves as ordinary fishing boats, and deploy small boats in the high seas far from the coast to launch attacks. Its range of activities has extended to 600 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.

Security analysts pointed out that the location of this attack was significantly further away from traditional high-risk areas, demonstrating that pirates have the ability to operate in the deep sea. As the hijacked fishing vessel continues to be stranded at sea, it is not ruled out that more suspicious proximity incidents will occur in the coming weeks.

UKMTO and EUNavfor have called on all merchant ships sailing through the Somali Basin and the western Indian Ocean to remain highly vigilant, report any abnormal activities, and strictly implement BMP5 (Best Management Practices) preventive measures.

The "Stolt Sagaland" incident is one of the most serious shooting attacks on ships in the waters off Somalia since 2025, and it once again reminds the industry that the nightmare of ten years ago is not far away. With the complication of regional situations and frequent incidents of fishing boats being hijacked, the "low-threat period" in the western Indian Ocean may have come to an end.