Yemen Monitor/ Djibouti/ Agencies:
A European naval force has announced that suspected Somali pirates have seized another Yemeni fishing boat off the Horn of Africa region.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, a European naval force known as EUNAVFOR Atalanta said the attack targeted a dhow, a traditional sailing vessel common in Middle Eastern waters, off the town of Eyl in Somalia.
It said the attack, which took place on Monday, is still under investigation. It comes ten days after another pirate attack on another Yemeni fishing boat that ended with the pirates fleeing and the sailors on board the boat being rescued unharmed.
The Yemeni government has not yet commented on the two attacks.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia peaked in 2011 when 237 attacks were reported. Somali piracy in the region at that time cost the world economy an estimated $7 billion – with $160 million paid in ransom, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group.
