According to a media report the Basque tuna vessel Elai Alai faces tough fight with the Somali pirates. The incident took place on Sunday when two pirate skiffs broke off their attack and fled after private security guards aboard the vessel fired warning shots at them. The encounter happened about 200 miles west of the island of Mahé the largest in the archipelago of the Seychelles.
The report mentioned that the 30 crew aboard the Elai Alai took the normal security precautions, including securing themselves in a place of refuge. This is the second time within-two weeks that private security guards aboard a Basque fishing vessel have averted a pirate attack. Meantime, as Somali pirate activity continues at a high level, EU Navfor reports mixed fates for ships not employing armed security guards.
This is a normal incident happen very often as pirates managed to board the vessel; however, after a couple of hours they eventually abandoned it, after having been unable to get control over the crew who had locked themselves in the ship’s “citadel.” The 24 crew members are reported safe. That same morning the 24 members of the crew of the MV Polar a Panama-flagged tanker, was less fortunate. The vessel was attacked during the night, approximately 580 nautical miles (almost 1,100 km) east from Socotra island. The next moring the owner confirmed that the vessel was under pirate control.
