EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

On the morning of 5 May, the Liberia flagged (Russian operated) Oil Tanker MOSCOW UNIVERSITY, was hijacked approximately 350 nautical miles east of Socatra.

At the time of the attack, the MOSCOW UNIVERSITY was heading east with a final destination of China. The ship has a crew of 23, all from Russia, and all are believed to be well. MOSCOW UNIVERSITY, with dead weight of 106,474 tones, was not registered with Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) for their recent transit through the IRTC but they had reported to UKMTO.

It is understood that a Russian warship is heading towards the hijacked position. EU NAVFOR continues to monitor the situation.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.