Pirates seize Iranian vessel off Somalia, mother ship feared

Twelve pirates boarded the Iranian fishing vessel Azini on October 29, seizing control in waters between the Somali towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun. Twenty-three were aboard: 21 Iranian crew and 2 Somali security guards.

An alert went out from the Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean. EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta opened an investigation and notified Iran and the vessel's flag state.

Authorities are worried about what the hijackers plan next. Somali pirates have previously converted captured fishing vessels into mother ships, platforms that extend skiff range hundreds of miles into the Indian Ocean, putting commercial traffic far from shore within reach. The Azini is the third Iranian fishing vessel seized in these waters since July 2026. Three this year alone.

Traffic transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa waters has been put on notice. The area patrolled by Operation Atalanta, including the Somali Basin and the southwestern Indian Ocean, remains an active piracy risk zone.