Maritime security companies report that armed pirates have seized a cargo ship in waters off Somalia and are directing the vessel toward the African nation’s shoreline.
The hijacking marks a continuation of renewed pirate activity in the region, where maritime criminals wreaked havoc along the Horn of Africa’s extensive coastline from 2008 to 2018 before a period of relative calm that ended in late 2023.
British security firm Vanguard reported Sunday evening that they had received information about armed pirates taking control of the cargo ship Sward near Godobjiran, Somalia. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed the hijacking occurred approximately 6 nautical miles northeast of Garacad.
According to Vanguard, the captured vessel carries a crew of 15 people, including two individuals from India and 13 from Syria.
“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 stated in their report.
Security company Ambrey provided additional details, noting that the ship was traveling from Suez, Egypt to Mombasa, Kenya when pirates boarded. At the time of the attack, most crew members were on the bridge while two mechanics were elsewhere on the vessel, according to Ambrey’s account.
Officials from Puntland’s semi-autonomous regional government and security forces were not immediately available to provide comment on the incident.
The latest hijacking follows an attack in November 2025 when armed individuals targeted a commercial tanker near Mogadishu, representing the first such incident since 2024.
