On May 23, pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel off Somalia, in order to use it as a mothership for attacking a bigger ship, Reuters reported. Crews often disregard the authorities’ recommendations and travel far closer to pirate-infested shores.
The Mayor of Haabo in the northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland talked about the incident adding that the Iranian fishing vessel under attack did not have licence for fishing in the region. In general, an increase in the unlicensed fishing vessels has been noted off Somalia causing problems to local market.
The rise of illegal fishing in the area also consists a significant problem as it a contributes to famine in the Horn of Africa
The recent incident indicates a sudden increase on piracy activity in Somalia, since a 5-year break. According to IMB, 2011 was the top piracy year, with 237 attacks in Somali waters.
