Two vessels were hijacked within days of each other in the waters off Somalia, rasing new fears that piracy after a long hiatus, may be threatening a comeback.
The European Union naval monitoring centre is almost certain that this may be the case.
It is warning of a resurgence of piracy in the region after a cargo vessel was hijacked on Sunday, highlighting new pressures 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, which is the European Union naval monitoring centre.
“All incidents remain ongoing, meaning they have not been resolved, the centre 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 witnessed, 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.
MG/as/APA