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Reported Pirate Incidents Near Somalia
Recent increase in pirate activity off the Somali coast compared to previous months.
Primary Sources
Pirates hijack cargo ship off Somalia, vessel heads toward coast
Pirates hijack cargo ship off Somalia, vessel heads toward coast Posted On 27-04-2026, 11:12AM MOGADISHU, Somalia — Suspected pirates have boarded a St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo vessel off Somalia’s coast and were sailing it toward the Somali shoreline, maritime security groups said Monday, in the latest sign of renewed pirate activity in the region. British maritime security firms Vanguard and Ambrey said the vessel, identified as Sward, was believed to be under pirate control after being boarded near Godobjiran in central Somalia. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the incident took place about 6 nautical miles northeast of Garacad and classified it as a hijacking. Vanguard said the ship’s 15-member crew included two Indian nationals and 13 Syrians. “The vessel is currently assessed to be under pirate control and proceeding toward the Somali coastline. The Puntland Maritime Police Force has been notified,” Vanguard said in a security note issued late Sunday. Ambrey said the vessel had been traveling from Suez, Egypt, to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was boarded. According to the company, all crew members were on the bridge except for two mechanics at the time of the incident. Officials in Puntland, the semi-autonomous Somali region where the vessel was headed, did not immediately comment. Piracy off Somalia’s long coastline caused major disruptions to global shipping routes between 2008 and 2018, with armed groups targeting commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Although attacks had declined sharply in recent years due to international naval patrols and improved onboard security, pirate activity began rising again in late 2023. In November 2025, armed assailants attacked a commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu, marking the first such reported incident since 2024. Security analysts warn that economic hardship, weak coastal enforcement, and ongoing instability may be contributing to the resurgence of piracy in Somali waters. GAROWE ONLINE
Suspected pirates steer cargo vessel towards Somalia
Hijacking reported as maritime routes already face severe disruptions and diversions due to Strait of Hormuz blockage.Pirates are suspected of having hijacked a cargo vessel off the coast of Somalia, officials and maritime security groups report.The reported hijacking on Monday was the second off Somalia in less than a week. The attack was on the Sward, which was carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa and was flying the flag of St Kitts and Nevis.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3More than 6 million Somalis face hunger amid climate shocks and conflictlist 2 of 3Trump’s May 1 deadline: Can he continue war on Iran after that?list 3 of 3Photos: Somalia hunger crisis worsens as drought displaces more than 500,000end of listThe attacks come as maritime routes already face severe disruptions due to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz during the United States-Israeli war on Iran.United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the Sward was hijacked 6 nautical miles (11km) northeast of the Somali coastal town of Garacad.The British maritime security group Vanguard said the ship’s 15-person crew comprised two Indian nationals and 13 Syrians.“The vessel is currently assessed to be under pirate control and proceeding toward the Somali coastline,” it said. “The Puntland Maritime Police Force has been notified.”An operations officer from that force told The Associated Press news agency that nine pirates had boarded the Sward and taken control.“The ship is currently under the control of armed men, and we are monitoring the situation,” he said.Somali pirates caused havoc in the waters off the Horn of Africa nation’s long coastline from 2008 to 2018. International naval patrols and improved maritime security greatly reduced their attacks.However, pirate activity started to pick up again in late 2023 during a decline in anti-piracy patrols and the relocation of funds to counter the threat posed by Houthi rebels in Yemen on shipping around the Bab al-Mandeb, a strait that connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and Suez Canal.On Wednesday, an oil tanker that left a Red Sea port in the breakaway region of Somaliland was seized in waters off Puntland while heading to the Somali capital, Mogadishu.In November, armed assailants firing machineguns and rocket launchers attacked a commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu.The essential shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on Febr...
UKMTO: Cargo vessel hijacked off Somalia as piracy threat rises
13 hours ago ... The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said late Sunday that a cargo vessel had been hijacked off Somalia's northeastern coast near Garacad.
Second vessel hijacked off Somalia amid piracy warnings - MSN
A cargo vessel was seized near Garacad, Somalia, days after an oil tanker was hijacked off the same coast. Maritime authorities have raised the piracy threat level to "substantial" and advised ...
