(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A merchant vessel was approached by suspected Somali-based pirates in the Sea of Oman last month, forcing an embarked armed security team to fire warning shots and flares to deter any attack, according to reports.
The incident, reported by the UK Maritime and Trade Office in Dubai (UKMTO) stated the merchant vessel was approached on June 28 by two 'white and blue hulled skiffs' to within 1,400m, approximately 123 nautical miles south east of Muscat.
One skiff reportedly had three persons on board, while the other carried two persons.
The armed security team warned the skiffs through a loudspeaker and showed weapons in a bid to deter the approach, but the skiffs continued forcing the vessel to fire.
The skiffs withdrew only to approach again, resulting in more flares and warning shots being fired, before the skiffs aborted.
The incident is among the number of attacks reported throughout the region in recent days with two other suspicious approaches in the Gulf of Aden, also on June 28.
In the first incident, a Singapore-flagged product tanker, Torm Sofia, reported suspicious approach by a fishing vessel with four suspected pirates on board. The suspicious craft made a series of manoeuvres resulting in the embarked armed security team firing warning shots, resulting in the skiff aborting its approach.
In a second incident on the same day in the Gulf of Aden, a separate merchant vessel reported 'a blue hulled skiff' with four persons on board following it two miles astern. The skiff closed to within 1.5 nautical miles, resulting in a warning flare being fired.
In both instances, the vessels and crews were reported safe. On June 27, another merchant vessel detected two skiffs on radar, which began to approach astern rapidly, closing to within one nautical mile.
The vessel activated fire houses to deter the approach, while a nearby warship launched a helicopter to provide support and investigate the incident.
Attacks and hijackings have nearly ceased in the regional waters this year as a result of embarked armed security teams on merchant vessels and efforts by international naval forces, although suspicious approaches continue to be reported. International pirate activity has increased along the West Coast of Africa, and around Singapore and Malaysia.
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