As Japanese patrol aircraft arrive, pirates flee a cargo ship off Yemen.

In the latest sign of renewed piracy activity across the wider region, a cargo ship was boarded by suspected pirates off Yemen on Thursday. Initial reports from the EU Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSC IO) described the incident as a hijacking, but subsequent reports from UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the MSC IO contradicted this.

MSCIO reported a piracy incident at approximately 09:18 UTC on 10 September, 38 nautical miles southwest of Balhaf, Yemen, and issued an alert that the vessel had been hijacked by a pirate action group (PAG), with the monitoring authority also issuing an alert about the vessel that appeared to have been boarded while assets assigned to the EU operation ATALANTA were investigating the situation.

The company security officer reported an approach by an armed boat. This boat had approximately six persons on board. The crew proceeded to the citadel as a precautionary security measure. A subsequent search of the vessel was carried out. This confirmed that no pirates or unauthorized persons were found on board. The MSCIO said that the situation had been resolved and that all crew members were safe and well.

 It is noteworthy that Pirates abandoned the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged cargo ship Glamor off Yemen after a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft intervened and other international forces closed in on the vessel, according to an EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta statement. Six attackers boarded the 24,073-dwt ship on 10 September about 38 nautical miles southwest of Balhaf. The crew stopped Glamor, shut down its systems, and retreated to the citadel before the boarding. 

An unidentified skiff approached the vessel, prompting the Republic of Korea-led Combined Task Force 151 to divert Japanese maritime patrol aircraft JN41. The aircraft reached the area within two hours of the initial alert and conducted show-of-force flights.  The crew could not be reached or taken control of by the attackers, who left as international forces approached. The master and the company's security officer later confirmed that all of the crew were safe and accounted for, after which the ship resumed its planned voyage from Salalah in Oman to Djibouti.  

The commander of CTF 151, Captain Yoon Hyun-woo of the Republic of Korea Navy, said: 'The crew did exactly what they were trained to do, which bought us the time we needed.'  CTF 151 coordinated information and assets with Operation Atalanta, the Indian Navy, and regional agencies, including the Yemeni Coast Guard. 

The Glamor (IMO 9177961) is a general cargo ship built in 1998 with a deadweight tonnage of 24,073 and a length of approximately 154 metres. The Greece-based company Dolphin Seatrade Ltd is listed as the owner and manager of the vessel.

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