New Delhi: A cargo ship carrying Turkish weapons and military equipment has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, with six Indian nationals among the 10 crew members on board. The Cameroon flagged vessel, M/V LUTUF, was seized earlier this week near Puntland’s Eyl district and later taken towards Somalia’s Nugaal coast.
The ship was transporting weapons, communications systems and satellite equipment destined for a military training facility in Mogadishu. Authorities said the crew included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards. The condition of the crew and the status of the cargo remain unclear.
According to Somali officials, the vessel was intercepted just a few nautical miles from the Puntland coastline by a group of eight armed pirates believed to be linked to an earlier hijacking in April. The attackers reportedly steered the ship towards the coastal area near Garmaal in Dangoroyo district.
The situation intensified when two Turkish owned vessels arrived near the hijacked ship while helicopters and drones monitored the area from the air. A day later, a small boat delivered khat, a stimulant widely used in Somalia, to those aboard the vessel. Shortly after the boat returned to shore, an airstrike struck the area, killing four people and injuring two others. It remains uncertain who carried out the strike or whether the casualties were connected to the hijacking.
The incident highlights growing concerns over the resurgence of piracy in the region. In a separate attack, an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden was also seized after armed men boarded the vessel and forced it to alter course toward Somalia.
After years of decline due to international naval patrols, pirate attacks off the Somali coast have increased again in recent months, raising fresh concerns for global maritime security and commercial shipping routes.
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