MOGADISHU: Somali pirates used a previously hijacked ship to seize their latest target, security officials said, while their families said they were partly driven by the impact of illegal fishing trawlers.

A new group of pirates from the semi-autonomous Puntland region have led a resurgence of attacks on shipping since April after more than a decade in which the issue was contained by heightened international security measures.

On Monday, the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, Lutuf, was hijacked by eight gunmen, who launched the attack from a ship they seized in April, the MV Sward, Puntland security officials said.

There were already four merchant vessels held hostage in Somali waters and the pirates used the Sward to hijack two Iranian fishing boats last month that were released after ransoms were paid.

It’s a tactic that was used often during the height of Somali piracy in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The security officials expressed surprise that the Lutuf had travelled within three nautical miles of the Somali coast given the spate of attacks.

They also said the pirates were able to board before its armed guards could shoot.

“No one fired back,” one said. The hostages include six Indians, a Georgian and a Turk, and the ship was heading for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania when it was captured.

Turkish military helicopters circled the hijacked ship later on Monday but did not attempt to board.

Turkiye is a key military backer to Somalia and has naval assets in the region, though its presence has often been criticised by Puntland, whose government is at odds with the federal authorities in Mogadishu.

‘Difficult circumstances’

The hijackers hail from the Mudug region of Somalia, in particular the port town of Garacad, and are well-known among the local community, according to the Puntland security officials. Many are angry over illegal foreign trawlers that they say have decimated the fishing industry on which many depend.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026