The Panama-flagged MV ASPHALT VENTURE is confirmed to be pirated in the Somali Basin, approximately 100 nautical miles South-East of Dar es Salaam in the Somali Basin.

The pirating of the vessel became clear in early afternoon of 29 September.  The vessel had made a sudden, unplanned deviation to its course to Durban, turning back towards the Somali coast, and then failed to respond to repeated radio calls.

The MV ASPHALT VENTURE, deadweight 3,884 tons, has a crew of 15, all Indian.

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.