Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — An armed security team repelled a Somali pirate attack on a chemical tanker early Monday after assailants in a small boat opened fire far off the coast of Mogadishu, officials said.
The incident occurred at 0220 UTC, about 332 nautical miles east of the Somali capital, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.
The failed hijacking has renewed fears of a resurgence in Somali piracy. A security firm later identified the tanker as the Stolt Sagaland.
According to UKMTO, the vessel’s master reported that four unauthorized persons in a small craft attempted to board. The craft, with a grey and white hull, was launched from a larger “mother vessel” positioned roughly five nautical miles away, the report said.
After the tanker challenged the attackers, “the attackers returned to the mother vessel,” UKMTO said in an update.
The ship’s security team fired warning shots. “All crew are reported safe and transiting to the next port of call,” the agency added. “Authorities are investigating.”
Tanker identified
Maritime security company Vanguard, which provided the armed security team (AST), confirmed the ship was the Stolt Sagaland.
Vanguard said a skiff approached from the starboard side and “opened fire.” The onboard AST “responded effectively,” deterring the attack, the company said. The crew also raised the alarm, increased speed, and executed evasive maneuvers.
“Vanguard MAC immediately alerted partner vessels in the area and relayed details to UKMTO and MSCIO,” the company added, referring to the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa.
At the height of Somalia piracy between 2008 and 2011, the scourge cost the global economy billions of dollars annually. It led to hundreds of hijackings, according to the World Bank.
Coordinated international naval patrols— including the EU’s EUNAVFOR operation— and the widespread use of private armed guards later drove attacks down sharply. But regional instability and the use of hijacked dhows as “mother ships” continue to pose a threat deep into the Indian Ocean, maritime security analysts warn.
EU force raises threat level
The European Union’s naval mission, EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, has since “raised the threat level to its highest,” Vanguard said.
The force assesses that a “Pirate Action Group (PAG) is active.” This warning follows the latest attack on a chemical tanker and suggests the group is “potentially linked to the Iranian dhow hijacked last week.”
EUNAVFOR has tasked aerial reconnaissance to search the area, Vanguard added.
A recent spate of dhow hijackings by Somali nationals this year has signaled a potential escalation of the threat to international shipping.
Pirates use these larger vessels as mother ships to launch smaller, faster skiffs— a tactic that extends their effective range for hijacking attempts to hundreds of nautical miles from shore.
That method was common during the 2008–2011 peak, which prompted a sweeping international military and regulatory response. Hundreds of attacks during that period led to successful hijackings, with crews often held ashore for ransom in appalling conditions.
This latest incident— Somali pirates attacking a chemical tanker— underscores the persistent danger in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, despite more than a decade of relative calm.
