Somali pirate hijacking? Probably not

Aegean II appears on fleet list of Dubai headquartered Hanan Shipping. [Image: Hanan Shipping]

An incident that indicated that the Panama-flagged chemical vessel Aegean II (IMO: 9016911) had been hijacked off the Horn of Africa now looks likely to have been something else.

According to the Equasis data base the 8,143 dwt 1994-built Aegean II is operated by Dubai-based Hanan Shipping.

Maritime security specialist Dryad Global yeserday initially reported that the vessel had been attacked on the evening (local time) of August 16, 2020, by six pirates, after having developed mechanical issues and that the vessel, which was in transit from the UAE to Mogadishu, is believed to have been attacked during its transit off the coast of the Horn of Africa, approximately 180 nm SW of Socotra.

Later in the day, though, Dryad added this update:

“Following making contact with authorities in Puntland, the vessel was boarded by local maritime police off the coast of Bareeda. At this time it is currently assessed that the vessel was forcibly taken to its current location. The Puntland authorities then claim that a dispute emerged regarding the presence of weapons on board, due to the presence of an embarked security team. However, this accusation is yet to be verified.

“Currently the crew of the vessel are deemed to be safe, and the vessel intends to proceed to its next port of call.”

See the full Dryad Global post HERE