Commercial ship ‘is hijacked by pirates’ and heading towards Somalia: Crew ‘no longer in control’ as Spanish warship heads to intercept

A commercial ship has been hijacked and is currently sailing towards Somalia, Britain's Marine Trade Operations said.

The nautical agency said the crew of the European Navy's Operation Atalanta flagship Victoria, a Spanish ship, is no longer in control of the ship, although they are all safe at the moment.

The ship is currently approximately 680 nautical miles east of Bosaso, Somalia. It is not known at this time how many sailors are on board.

Spanish warships have been deployed to investigate the hijacking, the EU's Anti-Somali Piracy Force said.

“Based on the first information available on the MV Ruen, the Spanish flagship Victoria of EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA is moving rapidly towards the alleged pirate hijacked ship to gain further awareness and evaluate next actions,” the EU force said in a statement to Reuters.

The statement added that it was coordinating with the wider international naval Combined Maritime Force.

The Victoria is a frigate that was commissioned in 1987 and is over 130 meters long and 46 meters at its widest point.

The ship has a maximum speed of 29 knots, or approximately 53 km/h, and can carry up to 233 sailors, including 13 officers.

The Maltese-flagged ship is operated by Bulgaria's Navigation Maritime Bulgare, according to data from public shipping database Equasis.

Operation Atalanta is the EU's ongoing military operation against piracy off the Horn of Africa, which aims to protect commercial ships bound for Somalia.

It also protects ships from the World Food Program and the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

Atalanta was the EU's first-ever naval operation, which claims to have arrested 171 pirates as a result of the military operation.

The capture of the Victoria appears to be the first major attack of 2023, according to EU data, which says there have been no attacks this year and only 12 'suspicious events'.

More to follow.