Suspected pirates have boarded a St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo vessel off the waters of Somalia and are steering it toward the Somali coastline, according to British maritime security groups Vanguard and Ambrey.
Details of the Hijacking
Vanguard stated late Sunday that it was aware of reports that armed pirates had hijacked the vessel, named Sward, near Godobjiran, Somalia. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed the incident occurred six nautical miles northeast of Garacad, describing it as a hijack.
The ship's 15-person crew includes two Indian nationals and 13 Syrians, Vanguard reported. “The vessel is currently assessed to be under pirate control and proceeding toward the Somali coastline. The Puntland Maritime Police Force has been notified,” the security group said.
Background on Somali Piracy
Somali pirates caused significant disruption in the waters off the Horn of Africa between 2008 and 2018. After a period of reduced activity, piracy began to increase again in late 2023. In November 2025, armed assailants attacked a commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu, marking the first such incident since 2024.
Ambrey, another maritime security firm, reported in a separate statement that the vessel had been en route to Mombasa, Kenya, from Suez, Egypt, at the time of the boarding. All crew members were on the bridge except for two mechanics, according to Ambrey.
The assistant information minister of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, as well as Puntland security officials, could not be reached for immediate comment.
