Somali pirates are suspected to have hijacked a Sri Lankan multi-day fishing boat along with a six-member crew, maritime officials said.
The incident had taken place in the Arabian Sea some 1,160 nautical miles away from the Sri Lankan maritime boundary, they said.
The ‘Lorenzo Putha – 4’ multi-day fishing trawler had set sail from Dikowita fishing harbour in Chilaw on January 12, they said.
Maritime officials have warned of a return of the Somali pirates following the turbulence in the Red Sea.
The pirates had remained on silent mode for the past three years or more after terrorising the sea lanes for decades.
They were known to have abducted dozens of merchant ships and sailors who included Sri Lankan Seafarers.
They would later demand large ransoms from the owners in return for the vessel and the crew. Ship owners later hired armed guards also known as Sea Marshals to sail on the vessels which saw an end to the Somali pirate terror.
However, the pirates are not known to abduct small fishing craft which is of little value to them and therefore, Saturday’s incident comes as a surprise to many, Palitha Atukorale, President of the National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka said.
The international coalition of warships which Sri Lanka is also set to join in the coming days had also warned of a return of Somali pirates taking advantage of the turbulent situation in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
