A commercial ship has been hijacked and is currently heading towards by Somalia, the UK’s Marine Trade Operations said.
The nautical agency said the crew of MV Reun no longer has control of the vessel, though they are all safe at the moment.
The ship is currently around 680 nautical miles east of Bosaso, Somalia. It is not currently known how many sailors are onboard.
Spanish warships have been scrambled to investigate the hijacking, the EU’s counter-Somali Piracy Force said.
‘Based on first information available on MV Ruen, the EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA flagship Spanish Ship Victoria is proceeding fast towards the alleged pirate-hijacked vessel to gain more awareness and evaluate following actions,’ the EU’s force said in a statement to Reuters.
The crew of MV Reun (pictured) no longer has control of the vessel, though they are all safe at the moment
The EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta flagship Victoria (pictured) is heading towards Somalia to investigate the potential hijacking
The statement added that it was coordinating with the broader international naval Combined Maritime Force.
The Maltese-flagged vessel, a bulk vessel that is 607ft long and 102ft at its widest point, is managed by Bulgaria’s Navigation Maritime Bulgare, according to data on public shipping database Equasis.
Data from MarineTraffic.com suggests the ship, built in 2016, was intercepted as it made its way from Gwangyang in South Korea to Gemlik in Turkey.
The capture of the vessel appears to be the first major attack by Somali pirates since 2019, following counter-piracy efforts by international navies stopped such seizures in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
The Victoria, the ship in charge of the investigation, is a frigate commissioned in 1987 that is more than 455ft in length and is 46ft at its widest point.
The vessel has a maximum speed of 29 knots, or around 33mph, and can carry up to 233 sailors, including 13 officers.
It has the capacity to carry up to 32 SM-1MR anti-air/ship missiles, and up to eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
The Victoria also carries an OTO Melara naval gun, which can fire up to 85 rounds per minute, each shell carrying a warhead of 13lbs.
Operation Atalanta is the EU’s ongoing counter-piracy military operation off the Horn of Africa that aims to protect Somalia-bound commercial ships.
It also protects vessels of the World Food Programme and the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Atalanta was the very first naval operation launched by the EU, which claims it has arrested 171 pirates as a result of the military operation.
has contacted Navigation Maritime Bulgare for comment.