Suspected pirates steer cargo vessel towards Somalia, security groups say

GAROWE, Somalia, April 27 (Reuters) - ‌Suspected pirates ​have ​boarded a St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo vessel off Somalia's waters and were sailing it towards ‌the Somali coastline, British maritime security groups Vanguard ⁠and Ambrey said.

Somali pirates caused havoc in the waters off the Horn ‌of Africa nation's long coastline ‌between 2008 and 2018. After a lull, pirate activity started to pick up again in late 2023.

Vanguard said in ​a note late on Sunday it was aware of reports that armed pirates had hijacked the vessel, Sward, ⁠in the vicinity of Godobjiran, Somalia. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ​incident occurred 6 nautical miles north-east of Garacad, describing it as a hijack.

The ship's 15-person crew ​comprises two Indian nationals and 13 ‌Syrians, Vanguard said.

"The vessel is currently assessed to be under pirate control and proceeding toward the ⁠Somali coastline. The Puntland Maritime Police Force has been notified," it said.

Ambrey said in a separate statement the vessel had been ⁠sailing to Mombasa, Kenya from Suez, Egypt at the time it was ​boarded. All the crew were on the bridge except two mechanics, Ambrey said.

The assistant information minister of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland and ‌Puntland security officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

In November 2025, armed assailants attacked a ‌commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu, the first such ⁠incident since 2024.

(Reporting by ‌George Obulutsa and Vincent ​Mumo Nzilani in Nairobi, Jonathan Saul in London, Abdiqani Hassan in Garowe,Somalia; Editing by Tom Hogue, Aidan ‌Lewis)

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