MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – The European Union’s maritime security force said it was monitoring a Maltese-flagged merchant ship that was hijacked in the Arabian Sea off the Horn of Africa.
The Ruen which is managed by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, was hijacked last week with 18 crew on board. Bulgarian authorities said the ship’s crew were Angolan, Bulgarian and Myanmar nationals.
EU’s naval force said one crew members has been evacuated for medical care but did not give details on his condition.
According to the EU Naval Force, the 185-meter Ruen was carrying a cargo of metals from the port of Gwangyang in South Korea. It had been headed to the Turkish port of Gemlik. The captain confirmed the hijacking by sending a mayday alert to the EU Naval Force’s command center.
The vessel has now moved southwest toward the coast of Somalia, according to the EU force.
The incident comes amid the broader maritime security situation in the Red Sea as Yemen-based Houthis target commercial ships in the region in support of Hamas in Gaza.
Five Somali nationals were apprehended after attempting to hijack a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
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