Pirates hijack cargo ship off Somalia’s Puntland region, officials say
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – A cargo vessel carrying cement and flying the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis has been seized by armed pirates off Somalia’s northern coastline, in a renewed flare-up of maritime insecurity in the region, according to security officials. The incident occurred near the coastal town of Garacad in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – A cargo vessel carrying cement and flying the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis has been seized by armed pirates off Somalia’s northern coastline, in a renewed flare-up of maritime insecurity in the region, according to security officials.
The incident occurred near the coastal town of Garacad in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland, where local maritime forces say a group of armed men boarded the ship and took control. An operations officer with the Puntland Maritime Police Force confirmed the hijacking, speaking anonymously as he was not authorized to brief the media.
Maritime monitoring services, including the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, also reported the attack, placing the incident roughly six nautical miles northeast of Garacad. The vessel, which had departed from Egypt and was en route to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, had an unconfirmed number of crew members on board at the time of the seizure.
Officials in Puntland stated that nine pirates were involved in the boarding. “The ship is currently under the control of armed men, and we are monitoring the situation,” the official told Associated Press news agency.
The latest seizure comes only days after another maritime incident in which an oil tanker was hijacked in waters off Puntland, having earlier departed from the port of Berbera en route to Mogadishu. The back-to-back cases have renewed concern among maritime observers over whether piracy, once largely suppressed in the region, may be re-emerging in Somali waters.
Piracy off Somalia’s coastline was once a major international security threat, particularly in the late 2000s and early 2010s, before a sustained decline driven by coordinated naval patrols, private security measures, and improved coastal enforcement. However, sporadic attacks continue to surface, underscoring persistent vulnerabilities in one of the world’s most strategic shipping corridors.
Contact us: info@somaliguardian.com
