Pirates hijacked a cargo ship this week off the Puntland coast of Somalia. Six Indian citizens were also included in the 10-member crew aboard this ship. A Somali official has given this information.
The name of this Cameroon flagged cargo ship is M/V LUTUF. This ship is in the ownership of Polar Movement Shipping. According to the official, pirates captured the ship on Monday and took it towards Nugal coast.
What was on the ship?
The ship was loaded with weapons manufactured in Türkiye, which were to be delivered to a military training center in Mogadishu. Apart from this, communication and satellite related equipment were also present in the ship. The official said the ship was captured at sea about three and a half nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district.
Who was on the ship?
Apart from six Indian nationals, the ship’s crew included one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards. There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials in this matter. There was no immediate reaction from the Indian Foreign Ministry on the incident.
What did the Somali officer say?
According to the Somali official, the ship was captured by eight pirates. It is believed that these robbers are associated with the group which was also involved in the hijacking of a ship named M/V Sward on April 26. The pirates took the ship ashore near Garmaal in the Dangoroyo district of Puntland. After this, two Turkish-owned ships approached M/V LUTUF. Turkish helicopters and drones were also monitoring the area.
On Tuesday, a small boat carrying two people reached near the ship. According to officials, the cot was delivered to the ship by this boat. Khat is a stimulant commonly chewed in Somalia. After the boat returned to shore there was an air attack. According to the Somali official, four people were killed and two others were injured in this attack.
However, it was not immediately clear who had carried out the airstrike. It was also not clear whether those killed were involved in the hijacking of the M/V LUTUF.
No clear information was immediately revealed about the condition of the ship, its crew and the condition of the goods on board. The news agency AP has also not independently confirmed all the information related to this entire incident.
Has any ship been hijacked before?
The hijacking of the M/V LUTUF has once again raised concerns about piracy off the Somali coast. In recent times, questions have been raised regarding the safety of sea vessels in this area. In a separate incident, a US-sanctioned tanker was captured in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday. Six armed men boarded the ship and reportedly forced it to change its course towards Somalia.
The name of this tanker is Seamull, which is also known as SIBU 1. The ship sent a message for help when a group approached it about 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen. According to the EU’s Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean, six armed men boarded the tanker and took over the ship.
America has already banned Seamull last year. American officials had described it as part of Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet”. According to the US, ships belonging to this shadow fleet allegedly transport Iranian oil using deceptive methods.
The separate incidents of hijacking of M/V LUTUF and capture of Seamull have raised new concerns about maritime security in and around Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. However, at present no clear information is available regarding the current status of the six Indians included in the crew of M/V LUTUF and the final position of the ship.