Ship Hijacking Shows Somali Piracy Risk Still High, UN Says
- Tanker seizure this week was first in area in about five years
- Unsafe waters seen complicating exploration for oil and gas
A French-army helicopter transporting marines attached to the European Union naval Force, EUNAVFOR-Somalia, is seen from the FS Sirocco heading towards the coast of Somalia's nothern semi-autonomous region of Puntland, on March 27, 2014.
Photographer: Aymeric Vincenoit/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The hijacking of a fuel tanker off Somalia’s coast shows the threat pirates still pose to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, a risk that may also hamper the Horn of African country’s efforts to explore for offshore oil and gas, a United Nations official said.
“This is absolutely a return of piracy,” Alan Cole, head of the UN’s Global Maritime Crime Programme, said of the March 13 hijacking of the Aris 13 freighter in waters off Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.