Hijacked fishing vessel approaches shipping lane amid Somali piracy fears

Commercial shipping in the western Indian Ocean has been warned of a potential new piracy threat after armed attackers seized an Iranian fishing vessel off Somalia and moved it towards a busy maritime traffic lane.

The Azini was hijacked on Thursday, October 29, off the northeastern Somali coast, with 21 Iranian crewmembers and two Somali nationals on board.

The vessel was last reported to be heading towards the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route.