An armed crew in a boat attempted to attack a chemical tanker off the coast of the Somalian capital, Mogadishu, on Monday, in a failed attempt to board the vessel.
The Cayman Islands-flagged MV Stolt Sagaland (IMO: 9352200), which had been coming from Saudi Arabia, had been sailing approximately 332 nautical miles (615 km) off the coast of Mogadishu.
At about 4:45 AM Somali time (7:15 AM IST), four armed attackers approached the chemical tanker in a small boat and reportedly opened fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed on Monday.
The skiff (small boat) approached the chemical tanker from a mother vessel located about 5 NM away, suspected to be a hijacked Iranian dhow. In addition to evasive manoeuvres, the ship's security detail also quickly returned fire, causing the assailants to flee.
"Our crew are all safe, having responded swiftly and professionally to the incident," the vessel's operating company Stolt-Nielsen said.
It is widely speculated that the attempt to board the chemical tanker was made by Somali pirates.
If confirmed, this would be the first such instance of Somali piracy against a merchant ship since May 2024, raising the risk for goods transported through the region, a Reuters report said, citing maritime sources.
This follows two other vessels being pursued by skiffs on Sunday, the European Union's naval force (EUNAVFOR) Atalanta said in a threat bulletin.
At 4 PM Somali time (6:30 PM IST), Seychelles-flagged FV Intertuna Tres was pursued by a skiff when it was 360 NM away from the coast of Mogadishu, which stopped after a warning flare was fired.
Just four hours later, Norway-flagged MV Spar Apus—sailing 446 NM away from the same coast—was also pursued by a skiff. The MV Spar Apus increased its speed to escape from the suspicious skiff.
EUNAVFOR Atalanta has confirmed it is investigating the matter, and warned of a pirate action group (PAG) operating in the area.
"Vessels are requested to remain vigilant and to adhere to BMP Maritime Security when transiting the Western Indian Ocean and the Somali waters," the naval force said in the threat bulletin.