Pirates Hijack Sward Cargo Ship Off Somalia, Steering Toward Somalia From Godobjiran

Pirates hijacked the Sward, a small cargo ship flying the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag, on Sunday, 26 April off the coast of Somalia, and it was anchored off Godobjiran.

“Maritime data monitored by the Open Source Unit of Al Jazeera Network via the MarineTraffic platform show that the general cargo ship 'SWARD', which is the subject of a distress call from Syrian sailors on board, last appeared off the eastern coast of Somalia, while an image from the European satellite Sentinel-2 captured on June 14 of the current month shows a naval vessel in the same area”

Al-Jazeera Net

APAnews said the Sward was carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the port of Mombasa, Kenya, and that British maritime security companies reported it had been boarded near Godobjiran before falling into pirate hands.

Al-Jazeera Net

APAnews also reported that the UKMTO stated the attack occurred about six nautical miles northeast of Garacad, confirming it was a hijacking.

Le marin described the Sward cargo as 100 meters long and 8,501 tonnes deadweight, and said it was hijacked on Sunday, 26 April off the coast of Somalia according to reports from maritime security agencies Vanguard, Ambrey, and UKMTO.

APAnews reported that the Sward crew consisted of 15 members, including two Indians and thirteen Syrians, and that at the time of the assault most were on the bridge with two mechanics not on the bridge.

Al-Jazeera Net said navigational data monitored via the MarineTraffic platform showed the general cargo ship SWARD last appeared off the eastern coast of Somalia and that the last announced signal from the ship was on June 14 with its navigational status 'stopped' with near-zero speed.

Courrier international

Al-Jazeera Net quoted a crew appeal in a video clip circulated on social media, saying: "We are 16 Syrian sailors on board this vessel, we have spent two full months in detention with no contact with the outside world or the Internet."

Al-Jazeera Net added that the Syrian Sailors' Union at Sea issued a statement on April 28 addressed to the families of the detained sailors, confirming that negotiations are ongoing for the release of the ship and the crew.

Courrier international said the hijacking of the Sward on Sunday, April 26 marked the second pirate attack targeting a carrier off the Somali coast in less than a week.

“Sunday, April 26, the hijacking of the Sward, a cement-carrying vessel from Egypt to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, marked the second pirate attack targeting a carrier off the Somali coast in less than a week”

Courrier international

التلفزيون العربي reported that the EU’s Operation Atalanta is investigating three attacks that occurred in the second half of April, including the hijacking of the cargo ship M/V Swaard and the seizure of the oil tanker M/T Honor 25 on 21 April.

التلفزيون العربي also stated that the Yemeni Coast Guard is following a report received about the hijacking of the oil tanker M/T EUREKA off the coasts of Shabwah Governorate, noting that the tanker was steered toward the Gulf of Aden in the direction of the Somali coast.

Le marin said the Sward hijacking is part of a series of pirate attacks on civilian vessels in the northern Indian Ocean, in a context made highly unstable by the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.