Reviews & Ratings for the Stolt-Sagaland

On November 2, 2025, the chemical tanker 'Stolt Sagaland' faced a harrowing attack from armed pirates while navigating approximately 332 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu, within the Somali exclusive economic zone. At around 4:45 a.m. local time, a skiff sporting a grey and white hull, suspected to have been launched from a mothership, approached the tanker. As the skiff neared from the starboard side, four armed assailants opened fire. In a swift response, the crew of 'Stolt Sagaland' sounded the alarm, increased their speed, and executed evasive maneuvers while their onboard security team returned fire. The attackers managed to close in to within 0.05 nautical miles before retreating to their mothership after being met with warning shots. Thankfully, no injuries or damage to the vessel were reported, allowing it to continue its journey from Al Jubail. In light of this incident, the EU NAVFOR Atalanta operation has heightened its threat assessment for the region, suspecting an active Pirate Action Group (PAG) is operating off the coast of Somalia. This group is believed to have connections to the Iranian dhow 'issamohamadi', which was hijacked on October 28 near Garacad and is currently not transmitting AIS signals. Prior to the attack, there had been reports of unusual dhow movements in the vicinity. Ambrey has cautioned that further suspicious approaches are a legitimate concern. Maritime authorities have issued warnings for vessels to steer clear of a 100-nautical-mile radius around the attack site. This incident marks a troubling revival of Somali piracy that began in November 2023, characterized by a spate of hijackings involving dhows, which are often used as motherships to launch assault operations far into the Indian Ocean. Authorities continue to investigate the incident and urge vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activities to UKMTO.