On 21 Jan 18, 2030LT PAST aboard an MV repelled a suspicious vessel, 90nm south of Mukala, Yemen. The MV was approached by a the suspicious vessel and PAST aboard the MV fired flares, and thereafter warning shots. The suspicious vessel returned firings. Then PAST fired another round of warning shots which forced the suspicious vessel to flee away. MV and crew are safe.
UPDATE :
Now it can be confirmed that the previously reported attack by pirates on MV NACC Valbella 90 NM off Mukalla, Yemen on 21 January, as an exchange of gunfire with a fishing boat’s crew defending their equipment. The embarked security team onboard MV NACC Valbella had reported ‘Aggressive Somali Pirates’ whilst declaring that they themselves had fired volleys of shots first. The fishing crew who were armed as is commonplace in this area, returned fire in self defence and left the scene. Thankfully no fishermen were reported to have been injured or killed during this incident. The fishing vessel’s crew did return fire at the Valbella, placing that vessel’s crew in unnecessary danger – a situation which could have been avoided if confirmation of the fishing vessel’s intentions had been assessed, before it had been shot at.
Source : ics-shipping
