A PRODUCT tanker transiting the Gulf of Aden has reported an attack from a skiff carrying five or six people armed with weapons and ladders at 0457hrs on May 10. 

The 2010-built, Marshall Islands-flagged, 74,910 dwt Chrystal Arctic (IMO: 9332640) has been named as the target of the attack by the European Union Naval Force. The tanker was en route to Suez, Egypt, from Vadinar, India, when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden. 

British security firm Ambrey said the vessel reported a suspicious approach from a blue-hulled small boat approximately 92 nm northwest of Bosaso, Somalia.

Chrystal Arctic changed course and sounded its horn, and armed guards discharged two shots. The small craft then returned fire, before stopping its approach.

The crew and vessel have been reported safe and the ship is en route to its next port of call.

EUNAVFOR said an Operation Atalanta (a counter-piracy operation off the Horn of Africa) warship responded first to the incident and arrested six pirates, “securing their physical integrity due to the unsafe condition of their skiff and treating some of them with injuries of varied severity”.

The UKMTO has advised all vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

This is the latest show of naval might in the effort to curb piracy’s resurgence in the western Indian Ocean. In March 2024, Indian Navy commandos successfully boarded the hijacked Ruen (IMO: 9754903) rescuing all 17 crew, and capturing 35 pirates in the process.

The International Maritime Bureau warned of a spike in Somali piracy last month, with five incidents reported in the first quarter of 2024. No incidents were reported in the first three months of 2024.