NAIROBI (Reuters) – A Panama-flagged ship boarded by Somali police is safe and underway, the EU Naval Force said on Saturday, after conflicting reports two days earlier about whether it had been hijacked by Somali pirates.
The EU force said in a statement that the Aegean II had originally altered its course due to a damaged hull, and that after local police had boarded it, “there had been certain incidents on board the vessel”.
“At this point, it cannot be classified as a maritime security incident, but a more detailed investigation is in progress,” the statement said, noting that the ship’s progress was being closely monitored by the naval force.
(Reporting by Katharine Houreld; Editing by David Clarke)
