Crime24 June, 20262 min read
Pirates Hijack Sward Cement Vessel Near Garacad, Somalia, Carrying 15 Crew
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Sward, a cement-carrying vessel bound for Mombasa, hijacked off Somalia. Piracy off Somalia rising; Sward hijacking follows earlier attack within a week.
Sward hijacked off Somalia
On 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. The APAnews report said the Sward was carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the port of Mombasa, Kenya, and that British maritime security companies said the vessel had been boarded near Godobjiran, in central Somalia, before falling into pirate hands.
APAnews also stated that the UKMTO said the attack occurred about six nautical miles northeast of Garacad, confirming it was a hijacking, and that the Sward crew consisted of 15 members, including two Indians and thirteen Syrians. Courrier international said the Sward hijacking was reported by Al-Jazeera and described it as a second pirate attack targeting a carrier off the Somali coast in less than a week, while noting that a tanker boarded on April 22 off Puntland remained under pirate control for several days.
Captors, locations, and crew
Al-Jazeera Net reported that maritime data monitored via the MarineTraffic platform showed the general cargo ship SWARD last appeared off the eastern coast of Somalia, with navigational status 'stopped' with near-zero speed southwest of the Garacad area. The Al-Jazeera Net account said the British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed the hijacking occurred 6 nautical miles northeast of Garacad, and it described an urgent appeal from Syrian sailors after about two months of captivity.
In a video clip circulated on social media, Al-Jazeera Net quoted a crew member 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." APAnews | Local Western, by contrast, said the Sward crew consisted of 15 members, including two Indians and thirteen Syrians, and that the vessel was now considered under pirate control and is heading toward the Somali coast.
Broader piracy surge
Al-Tilfaziyun al-Arabi said an oil tanker hijacked off Yemen was being steered toward Somalia, after the Yemeni Coast Guard stated its forces were following a report of the hijacking of the oil tanker M/T EUREKA off the coasts of Shabwah Governorate. That same source said the tanker was subjected to an armed robbery by unknown elements, who boarded it and took control of it, then steered it toward the Gulf of Aden in the direction of the Somali coast, while also describing coordination with international partners to locate it.
Al-Tilfaziyun al-Arabi added 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. Courrier international framed the Sward hijacking as part of a renewed pattern, saying the alert thresholds were raised and that the concern about the crew’s fate is high, according to Hiraan info.