The European Union’s naval forces in the Middle East helped free a Yemeni fishing boat captured by Somali pirates and 12 crew members off the coast of the Horn of Africa, officials said.
EUNAVFOR Atalanta said on Thursday that the incident was still under investigation, confirming that the 12 crew members on board the boat were safe and unharmed.
The attack, which took place last week, targeted a traditional boat that normally operates in the waters of the Middle East, near the town of Eyl in Somalia.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia reached its peak in 2011, when 237 attacks were recorded. At that time, Somali pirates caused a loss of approximately $7 billion to the world economy, with $160 million of that amount paid as ransom, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy group.
The threat of piracy has declined with the rise of international maritime patrols, a strengthened central government in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, and other efforts to curb such attacks.
However, Somali pirate attacks have increased in the past year, partly due to the instability caused by attacks by the Yemeni Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, which is at the root of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In 2024, seven attacks were recorded off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
