Two vessels freed following Somali pirate hijackings

Two fishing vessels – one from Iran and the other from Sri Lanka – have been freed following hijackings by Somali pirates.

Seychelles forces rescued a Sri Lankan fishing boat on Monday, while the Indian Navy said it had freed an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel.

Somali pirates are back hunting targets while Houthis to the north in Yemen are attacking ships too, bringing much marine traffic to a halt in the Red Sea.

Piracy was rampant off Somalia for four years from 2008 but then it went dormant for about five years. Recently, Somali pirates have been hijacking several vessels such as dhows and then targeting merchant ships passing by with a view to then demanding ransoms for kidnapped crews.