Somali pirates hijack cargo ship off Puntland, raising piracy fears

The seizure of a cement carrier off Puntland was more than another opportunistic boarding. It pointed to a maritime threat that had been contained for years and may now be reappearing as patrol attention shifts elsewhere and pirate networks test a weakened security net.

The St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo vessel was carrying cement from Egypt to Mombasa when armed men seized it off Somalia’s coast near Garacad, in Puntland. A local maritime security official said the ship was taken about 6 nautical miles northeast of Garacad, and security groups said it was being steered toward the Somali coastline.

UK Maritime Trade Operations logged two hijack reports in the same 48-hour period off Somalia, one near Garacad and another about 45 nautical miles northeast of Mareeyo. The clustering of alerts suggested a short-term spike in maritime insecurity rather than an isolated incident, raising immediate concern among shipping companies and insurers that the old piracy problem is reasserting itself.

The attack was the second hijacking incident in less than a week after an oil tanker was seized in waters off Puntland. That sequence matters because Somali piracy once disrupted one of the world’s most sensitive trade corridors between 2008 and 2018, driving up shipping costs and forcing international naval deployments across the region.

The latest case carries added weight because of where the ship was headed and what it was carrying. Cement is not the most lucrative cargo, but the route from the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to East African ports is strategically important, and any sign that pirates can still board and redirect a vessel will feed pressure for more security, higher insurance premiums and possible route changes.

Maritime-security analysts have said pirate activity began to pick up again in late 2023 after a lull, as anti-piracy patrols drew down and attention shifted toward Red Sea threats linked to attacks near the Bab al-Mandeb. That diversion appears to have left more room for armed groups off Somalia’s long and difficult coastline, where Puntland authorities have limited reach.

The vessel’s reported crew of 15, including two Indians and 13 Syrians, underscored the human stakes behind the attack. UK Maritime Trade Operations, which has served as a maritime security warning center for more than 25 years, uses its alerts to push mariners to transit with caution and report suspicious activity, a signal that the region’s security balance remains fragile.