The Gulf of Aden is a remarkably dangerous stretch of water between Africa and the Middle East, well-known for the pirates that patrol its waters so regularly that there’s actually a pirate stock exchange found in Somalia. Which is why it’s a rather strange route for the 50-metre superyacht Kalizma to have taken on its way to Egypt. But last week, in what is believed to have been a case of mistaken identity off the coast of Yemen, an intense gun battle broke out between superyacht private security and supposedly pirates.
When the gunsmoke cleared from the hundreds of rounds of ammunition that were traded by the two parties, one man was dead and another wounded. Kalizma, on the other hand, suffered significant damage to its superstructure and guest quarters. What isn’t clear at this stage, however, is who pulled the trigger first and who was shooting at who.
According to the Associated Press, the Yemeni Coast Guard authorities claimed to have approached the Cook Islands-flagged yacht and attempted to make contact with its captain repeatedly, without receiving a reply, and that the Kalizma was acting in a “very suspicious way” near the coast. As the Yemeni Coast Guard continued its approach to the superyacht, they came under a hail of bullets and returned fire to defend themselves.
This story came from the maritime intelligence company Ambrey, which state: “an armed security team… onboard the yacht then opened fire on the approaching Yemenis and attempted to escape perceived pirates.” Then, the Coast Guard “returned fire and followed the yacht for approximately an hour until communications with the yacht could be established and the misunderstanding between the parties resolved.”
It’s scary stuff, but it goes directly against what actually happened, according to those on the Kalizma.
The team at Boat International have been in direct contact with the owner, captain, and manager onboard the Kalizma, who claim they were attacked by pirates who approached them under the guise of being the Yemeni Coast Guard. There was no case of mistaken identity, according to Manager Aashim Mongia, who explained an aircraft identified, “multiple pirate skiffs operating under the guise of the Yemeni Coastguard in the vicinity” and that there were, “at least two other distress calls regarding piracy from merchant ships in the immediate area at the same time Kalizma was attacked.”
The shootout left one of Kalizma’s three private security guards with a bullet wound in the shoulder and the vessel itself has been shredded by bullet holes from those attacking the superyacht. According to AP, Mongia insists the Kalizma’s guards weren’t the first to open fire and the other party “attacked the vessel first and came back in several waves to try to take the Kalizma,” before, “forcing the ship’s three guards to fire upward of 200 rounds to protect the nine crew on board.”
The investigation into exactly what happened is ongoing and will be a fascinating story once investigators are able to sort fact from fiction. Although when you consider how many rounds were fired and the number of people involved, it’s a miracle more weren’t killed.
All image credits to Boat International.
