Somali Pirates Hijack Sward Off Somalia, Following Honour 25 and Another Dhow Seizure

Three vessels were hijacked off the coast of Somalia within a week, raising fears of a resurgence in piracy around the Horn of Africa, as the global shipping industry faced additional strain.

“Pirates are suspected of having hijacked a cargo vessel off the coast of Somalia, officials and maritime security groups report”

Al Jazeera

The Guardian reported that the merchant vessel Sward was taken over on 26 April, a day after “a dhow was seized,” and it said the sequence followed the 21 April hijacking of Honour 25.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian added that the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO), the tracking service of the EU’s naval force, said “All incidents remain ongoing …,” and it quoted the MSCIO advising vessels to maintain “heightened vigilance … particularly within 150NM [nautical miles] of the Somali coast between Mogadishu and Hafun where feasible.”

Al Jazeera likewise described the reported hijacking on Monday as the second off Somalia in less than a week, identifying the attack as on the Sward.

Al Jazeera said UKMTO reported the Sward was hijacked “6 nautical miles (11km) northeast of the Somali coastal town of Garacad,” and it added that the ship was “carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.”

The Guardian reported that Sward was a cement carrier that left the port of Suez in Egypt on 13 April and was captured about “6 nautical miles (11km) from the Somali port town of Garacad.”

It also said Sward had 17 crew members, “15 from Syria and two from India,” and that after the hijacking “shortly after 8pm on Sunday” pirates steered the ship toward the coast and anchored it near Garacad.

The reporting tied the latest hijackings to a broader pattern of pirate activity that had declined after the 2011 peak and then began to re-emerge.

The Guardian said piracy around Somalia “jumped in the late 2000s,” peaked in 2011 with “212 attacks,” and that an international naval coalition “cutting them to just a handful each year from 2014.”

gCaptain

It added that “incidents began to rise again in 2023,” and it connected the current moment to shipping disruptions including “the near-total closure of the strait of Hormuz by Iran” and “attacks by the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels around the narrow Bab el Mandeb strait.”

In the specific case of Sward, The Guardian said it left Suez on 13 April and was captured “about 6 nautical miles (11km) from the Somali port town of Garacad,” then described the boarding as beginning “shortly after 8pm on Sunday.”

It said “Six armed men and an unarmed interpreter fluent in English and Arabic then boarded the ship,” and it quoted a Puntland security official saying, “He’s not only speaking with the crew but also dealing with the owner of the ship.”

The Guardian reported that a second official said, “The interpreter is in charge,” and it said that by Tuesday morning “four more armed men had boarded Sward, bringing the total number of pirates on board to 20.”

Al Jazeera added operational details, saying Vanguard assessed the vessel to be “under pirate control and proceeding toward the Somali coastline,” and it quoted a Puntland Maritime Police Force operations officer saying, “The ship is currently under the control of armed men, and we are monitoring the situation.”

Multiple maritime and security voices framed the hijackings as an operational threat requiring immediate caution.

“A cargo ship has been taken over by suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia near Garacad”

Marine Insight

The Guardian quoted the MSCIO statement that “All incidents remain ongoing …,” and it relayed the MSCIO’s guidance that vessels were “strongly advised to maintain heightened vigilance … particularly within 150NM [nautical miles] of the Somali coast between Mogadishu and Hafun where feasible.”

Al Jazeera reported that UKMTO said the Sward was hijacked and that Vanguard said the ship was “currently assessed to be under pirate control and proceeding toward the Somali coastline,” while adding that “The Puntland Maritime Police Force has been notified.”

It also included a direct quote from a Puntland Maritime Police Force operations officer, who told The Associated Press news agency, “The ship is currently under the control of armed men, and we are monitoring the situation,” and it said “nine pirates had boarded the Sward and taken control.”

The Arabic-language outlet قناة ومنصة المشهد reported that the EU naval mission patrolling off the coast of Somalia was probing “three pirate attacks,” citing the Indian Ocean Maritime Security Center (MSCIO), and it quoted the MSCIO urging ships to exercise “maximum caution, especially within 150 nautical miles of the Somali coast between Mogadishu and Hafun.”

That same outlet said the piracy risk level rose from “low” to “high” according to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) affiliated with a “47-country alliance deployed to safeguard security in the North Indian Ocean.”

It further quoted security expert Omar Mahmoud of the International Crisis Group telling Agence France-Presse that piracy is driven “more by opportunity than anything else,” and it added that pirate groups are present “constantly” and wait for “the right opportunity.”

While the hijackings were consistent across reports, the outlets emphasized different aspects of the same incidents, from operational details to broader geopolitical framing.

The Guardian centered on the MSCIO warning and on the boarding process for Sward, including the interpreter and the reported khat shipment, and it quoted a senior researcher, Jethro Norman, saying pirates had “taken advantage of international navies diverting resources towards the Red Sea to combat the Houthi attacks.”

The Guardian

It added Norman’s view that “Pirate networks are testing the waters again and they are better equipped than the last generation,” and it cited “GPS, satellite communications and hijacked dhow motherships” as enabling operations “hundreds of miles offshore.”

Al Jazeera, by contrast, foregrounded the immediate status of the Sward, reporting that Vanguard assessed it to be “under pirate control and proceeding toward the Somali coastline,” and it tied the attacks to disruptions from “the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz during the United States-Israeli war on Iran.”

It also provided a crew breakdown through Vanguard, saying the ship’s “15-person crew comprised two Indian nationals and 13 Syrians.”

Marine Insight focused on the UKMTO warning mechanics, saying UKMTO received a report at “around 20:00 UTC on Sunday” and issued a warning “shortly after 9 pm GMT,” and it stated that “No details have been shared about the vessel’s name, its cargo, or the crew on board.”

The gCaptain entry, while also describing “two apparent vessel hijackings off Somalia within hours of each other,” used a different framing by tying the resurgence to “Trump’s Hormuz Blockade” and to UKMTO Warning 046-26 and 045-26.

The reports portrayed the hijackings as part of a renewed risk environment for shipping, with guidance to adjust routes and procedures while authorities investigate.

“Three vessels have been hijacked off the coast of Somalia in the past week, raising fears of a resurgence in piracy around the Horn of Africa, and adding to the woes of the global shipping industry”

The Guardian

The Guardian said piracy around Somalia had been cut to “just a handful each year from 2014,” but it warned that incidents began to rise again in 2023 and that the current hijackings added to “the woes of the global shipping industry.”

Tradewinds News

It also quoted MSCIO’s specific geographic caution within “150NM” between Mogadishu and Hafun, and it described how Sward was anchored near Garacad after pirates steered it toward the coast.

Al Jazeera added that the attacks came as maritime routes faced disruptions due to “the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz,” and it described diversions including that “Some ships have been diverted to the Suez Canal or taken the much longer journey around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa.”

Marine Insight said UKMTO raised the threat level in the region to “substantial” and warned that “current weather conditions are suitable for small boat operations,” while also noting authorities were looking into whether the hijacking was linked to “Pirate Action Groups.”

Seatrade Maritime News reported that UKMTO warned of increased pirate activity offshore Somalia after the second hijacking and advised vessels to “transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO while authorities investigate.”

The Arabic-language outlet قناة ومنصة المشهد said the piracy risk level rose from “low” to “high” and that the EU naval mission was investigating three attacks, while quoting Omar Mahmoud that piracy is driven by “opportunity” and that pirate groups are “part of a recurring pattern.”