The European Union's anti-piracy force in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, Operation Atalanta, on Thursday flagged a possible pirate attack on the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Basilisk off the coast of Somalia.

Somali pirates caused havoc in the waters off the east African nation's long shoreline in between 2008 and 2018. They had been dormant till late in 2015 when pirate activity

begun to get again

.

The EU force stated in a declaration that the suspected attack occurred about 380 nautical miles east of the Somali capital Mogadishu while the vessel was heading north.

Among Atalanta warships in the area has actually been the initially star to react. EUNAVFOR ATALANTA is taking the appropriate actions to react, it added.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) firm earlier said it had received a report of a vessel being boarded 420 nautical miles southeast of Merca, Somalia.

An unknown number of unauthorised individuals from 2 little craft were reported to have actually boarded the vessel, according to UKMTO.