Hijacked Iranian Dhow Located to Disrupt Potential Further Piracy
An Iranian-flagged dhow, which was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates, has been located and isolated, according to a report from the European Naval Force Operation in the region, Operation Atalanta. They are continuing to monitor the incident while reporting that they believe the vessel’s potential use as a mothership to launch piracy against a larger ship has been disrupted.
The dhow named Alwaseemi 786 was reported to have been seized by the suspected pirates on March 24 while it was approximately 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. The EU operation warned shipping that the vessel was likely to be used as a mothership to stage a potential assault against a larger vessel. They were advising to remain at least 200 nautical miles from the dhow’s last known position and to increase precautions against piracy.
Atalanta functions with naval vessels from EU member countries. It reported that it began repositioning its assets towards the suspected position of the piracy group, and on March 27, it located the dhow. At the time, it was 480 miles southeast of Mogadishu.
A second warship assigned to Atalanta was moved from its designated patrol zone toward the dhow. The warships used their airborne capabilities to gather information about the situation aboard the fishing vessel.
The vessel had been isolated by March 30, but Atalanta reports the dhow is continuing to move eastward, heading toward the Somali coast. They report that they are in contact with the relevant Somali authorities and coordinating efforts.
The Somali groups will take the lead on the liberation of the dhow and its crew, as it is in territorial waters. Atalanta reports it maintains contact with the local groups to facilitate the detection of piracy group members.
Based on past history, the danger of piracy action remains high in the region until about May and the onset of the Southwest Monsoon season. There is a second wind of opportunity in the October-November timeframe between monsoon seasons.
The European Council reported yesterday, March 30, that it had completed a strategic review of the operations of both Atalanta and Aspides, which is responsible for the Red Sea region. They reported a decision to further strengthen Atalanta’s ties with other EU operations and add to its mandate the mission to collect and share information on suspicious activities related to critical submarine infrastructure.
While piracy activity has been subdued in the Indian Ocean, Atalanta also has a secondary assignment to monitor arms and narcotics trafficking and illegal fishing, but it suspends the monitoring of illicit charcoal trade.
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Aspides, which was extended earlier this year to February 2027, is also adding tasks to collect and share information on suspicious activities related to critical submarine infrastructure. It will also contribute to capacity building by training Djiboutian maritime forces and cooperating with the Yemeni Coast Guard.
Data from the EU Naval Force shows that Atalanta, between 2009 and the end of 2025, contributed to the capture of 177 pirates with the conviction of 145 individuals. It reports that 139 vessels have been taken by pirates since the start of the operation, while noting that there is also an unknown number of unreported/unconfirmed dhows and smaller vessels that have also been taken by the pirates.
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