HANDYMAX bulk carrier Ruen (IMO: 9754903) has been hijacked 700 nautical miles east of Bosaso, Somalia, according to reports.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the ship’s company security officer said the crew no longer had control of the vessel.

All crew are reported safe.

The Malta-flagged, 2016-built, 41,607 dwt Ruen made a distress call yesterday saying it was being boarded.

Automatic Identification System transmissions show the ship’s journey was disrupted between 1130 hrs and 1200 hrs GMT on December 14.

The vessel is continuing to transmit AIS positions.

Ruen is owned and operated by the Bulgarian company Navigation Maritime Bulgare JSC (Navibulgar).

At the time of the incident the ship was signalling Gemlik, Türkiye as its next destination.

The location of the boarding so far from the coast raises questions about who is responsible for the attack.

EOS Risk Group head of advisory Martin Kelly said: “The distance from Somalia is really quite far to conduct a boarding when there’s quite a high volume of traffic there. Two Iranian fishing dhows were reported hijacked a few weeks ago, one is still offline and probably could get that far but it’s still quite a stretch.”

Other possible suspects are the Iranians and their Houthi proxies, although the latter had yet to demonstrate they could operate so far offshore, he added.

In either of these scenarios it is likely the perpetrators would be spotted leaving the area.

This attack follows the boarding of Liberia-flagged chemical tanker Central Park (IMO: 9725823) on November 26.

US defence officials say the attackers were Somali and as of December 12 they remain detained on the destroyer USS Mason.

Shipping associations condemned the week’s attacks on ships with missiles or drones fired from Houthi territory in Yemen. 

The International Chamber of Shipping urged states with influence in the region to ensure freedom of navigation and for continued naval support.