Hijacking -  400 NM east of Mogadishu, Somalia

Dear Client,
Please find below our most recent Flash Report. If you have any queries about our reports please contact us at africaops@castorvali.com.

Incident Details

Incident Details

Description

An Iranian-flagged Dhow named "ALWASEEMI 786" has reportedly been hijacked by a probable Pirate Action Group (PAG), likely to be used as a mothership. The vessel's last known position was approximately 400NM east of Mogadishu. Operation ATALANTA is investigating the incident. Vessels operating in the vicinity are strongly advised to avoid transiting within a 200NM radius of the reported position.

Key findings

The hijacking of the Iranian-flagged dhow represents a concerning escalation in piracy operations off the Somali coast, with the vessel being repurposed as a mothership to extend the operational range of pirate activities. The establishment of a 200NM exclusion zone around the vessel's last known position indicates the significant threat radius that motherships create, allowing pirates to launch attacks far from shore using smaller skiffs. The involvement of Operation ATALANTA suggests this incident is being treated as a high-priority threat requiring coordinated international naval response.

The use of dhows as motherships is a well-established pirate tactic that significantly complicates maritime security operations, as these vessels can blend in with legitimate fishing and trading traffic while providing pirates with extended operational endurance and range. The timing and location of this hijacking, 400NM east of Mogadishu, positions the mothership in prime hunting grounds for commercial shipping transiting between the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

Recommendations

• Maintain minimum 200NM standoff distance from reported position and implement enhanced lookout procedures.
• Activate BMP-MS protocols including increased speed, evasive routing, and crew mustering procedures.
• Establish regular communication schedules with maritime security centers and report any suspicious dhow activity immediately.

Explore More From Castor Vali

Disclaimer
You have received this report as part of your organisation’s subscription. Castor Vali assessment and advice is given based on the information received and processed by us and the surrounding circumstances known to us to exist at the time. Subsequent changes to relevant information or the surrounding circumstances may affect the reliability of our assessment and advice, but we do not accept responsibility for that effect. We do not accept responsibility for the outcome of any action taken or not taken as a result of our assessment and advice unless the possibility of that action being taken or not taken is set out in specific terms in our instructions.

UK Global Head Office: Castor Vali Ltd
Davidson House, Forbury Square, Reading, RG1 3EU, United Kingdom

West Africa Regional Headquarters: Castor Vali Nigeria
No 56a Akintude Adeyemi Drive, Off Chief
Collins Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Nigeria

East Africa Regional Headquarters: Castor Vali Africa (Kenya)
Unit B, Northern Wing, 2nd Floor, Nairobi Business Park, Ngong Road,
Nairobi, Kenya. PO Box +254 711 105 879 – 00505

United Kingdom | Nigeria | Ghana | Somalia | Kenya | Tanzania | Zanzibar |
Mozambique | South Africa | Mauritius | Dubai

Operations Centre (24 Hrs): +254 (0) 20 440 9614 | +254 (0) 711 105 879
info@castorvali.com