Three vessels hijacked off Somalia in a week, raising fears of piracy resurgence

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Three vessels have been hijacked off Somalia’s coast within a week, heightening fears of a resurgence of piracy in the Horn of Africa and adding new pressure on the global shipping industry.

The latest case involved the commercial vessel Sward, which was seized on April 26, following the April 21 capture of the oil tanker Honour 25, which was carrying 18,000 barrels of oil, according to the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean, the European Union naval monitoring center.

“All incidents remain ongoing,” the center said in a statement. “Vessels operating in the area are strongly advised to maintain a high level of vigilance, particularly within 150 nautical miles between Mogadishu and Xaafuun.”

Somali piracy surged in the late 2000s and peaked in 2011, when 212 attacks were recorded, according to EU naval data. Pirate groups at the time became increasingly bold, launching attacks as far as 2,270 nautical miles from Somalia’s coastline deep into the Indian Ocean.

An international naval coalition later brought the attacks under control, reducing incidents to only a few cases annually from 2014 onward. However, attacks have started rising again since 2023.

The global shipping industry has already been grappling with disruptions caused by instability around the Strait of Hormuz and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Ships must pass through these waters to exit the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest trade routes, with many also sailing around the Horn of Africa.

The Sward, a cement carrier, had departed from Egypt’s Suez port on April 13 and was heading to Mombasa, Kenya, when pirates seized it about six nautical miles off the port town of Garacad, according to Puntland security officials.

The vessel was carrying 17 crew members, including 15 Syrians and two Indians.

After the hijacking, which took place shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday, the pirates steered the vessel toward the Somali coast and anchored it offshore near Garacad.

Officials said six armed men and an unarmed interpreter speaking English and Arabic initially boarded the ship.

“He is speaking with the crew and is also in contact with the ship owner,” one security official said, referring to the interpreter.

By Tuesday morning, four more armed men had joined, bringing the number of pirates on board to 20, officials said.

Jethro Norman, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said pirates are taking advantage of the fact that international naval forces have focused much of their attention on the Red Sea to counter Houthi attacks, while Puntland security forces are dealing with multiple pressures on land and at sea.

“Pirate networks are once again testing their capabilities, and they are better equipped than the previous generation,” Norman said. “GPS, satellite communications, and hijacked boats used as mother ships allow them to operate hundreds of miles offshore.”

GAROWE ONLINE