Malta-flagged ship remains hijacked off Somalia

Image

A Maltese-flagged commercial ship hijacked two weeks ago in the Arabian Sea is anchored off Somalia.

Transport Malta said in a statement it was monitoring the situation aboard the Malta-flagged ship RUEN together with the Armed Forces of Malta and the European Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta.

The ship, hijacked on December 14, was being managed by a Bulgarian company and had a crew of 18 seafarers of Bulgarian, Angolan, and Myanmar nationalities aboard.

"The RUEN crossed the Arabian Sea initially headed towards the northeastern coast of Somalia and then navigating southwards towards Eyl.

"The military assets deployed from EU Operation Atalanta and the Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region continued to follow and monitor closely the RUEN vessel movements on her southbound heading," TM said, adding the ship was currently anchored at 2.5 nautical miles of the coast at Baqbaq Somalia.

Times of Malta

Related Articles

Somalia in the Houthis’ Sights: A Potential New Foothold for Regional Operations

The New York Times reported this week that an unspecified number of the unmanned aircraft would be transferred to the Western Hemisphere.

  • Somalia

    10-10-2026

  • 09:03AM

Somalia’s Human Rights Crisis Deepens as Government Accountability Mechanisms Face Scrutiny

A major concern is whether the government’s human rights mechanisms have delivered meaningful protection for victims.

  • Somalia

    09-10-2026

  • 08:45AM