Six Indians were among the 10 crew members aboard a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia earlier this week. The vessel, identified as the M/V LUTUF and operated by Polar Movement Shipping, was seized on Monday and redirected toward the Nugaal coastline with a cargo of Turkish military weapons and communication satellite equipment.
Pirates Hijack Cargo Ship With 6 Indian Sailors Aboard
According to the Associated Press report, citing a Somali official, the ship was seized around three-and-a-half nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district. The crew included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian, and two Serbian security guards. There was no immediate comment from Turkish authorities, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also not yet responded to the incident.
Who Carrieed Out Hijacking?
The official added that the hijacking was carried out by eight pirates believed to be linked to the April 26 seizure of the M/V Sward. The armed group directed the M/V LUTUF toward the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district, where the vessel was later observed being monitored by Turkish helicopters and drones as two Turkish-owned vessels approached.
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During the standoff on Tuesday, an unidentified airstrike struck a small boat shortly after it delivered khat (evergreen shrub chewed by people in East Africa) to the hijacked vessel. Four men were killed while two others were injured on shore. As of now, it remains unclear who launched the strike, whether the casualties were involved in the piracy ring, or what the current status is of the M/V LUTUF, its crew, and its military cargo.
The incident comes amid renewed concerns over piracy off the Somali coast. Meanwhile, in a separate incident on Thursday, a US-sanctioned tanker identified as the Seamull, also known as SIBU was seized in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel had reportedly issued a distress call approximately 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen after six armed men boarded it and forced the crew to change course toward Somalia.
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