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Monday, 22 June 2026dailybeirut.com
World
A cargo ship has been hijacked near the Somali coast, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), marking a potential resurgence of piracy in the region. The incident occurred six nautical miles northeast of Garacad, with unauthorized persons seizing control and redirecting the vessel into Somali territorial waters. This follows the hijacking of an oil tanker last Tuesday off the same coast. Somalia, historically plagued by piracy, saw a sharp decline after 2011 due to international naval patrols, the Puntland Maritime Police Force, and armed guards on ships. However, recent months have seen a worrying uptick in such incidents off the Horn of Africa, raising fears of a return to widespread maritime insecurity.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Monday that individuals had seized control of a cargo ship near the Somali coast, in what appears to be a piracy incident.
UKMTO stated: "We have received a report of an incident 6 nautical miles northeast of Garacad in Somalia."
It added: "We have learned that unauthorized persons have taken control of a cargo vessel that has been redirected into territorial waters."
On Saturday, UKMTO announced that an oil tanker had been hijacked on Tuesday off the Somali coast.
Somalia, which is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Aden and to the east by the Indian Ocean, is known for its long history of piracy.
After piracy in Somalia peaked in 2011, it declined significantly with the deployment of international warships (from the European Union, India, and other countries), the establishment of the Puntland Maritime Police Force — a semi-autonomous state within Somalia — and the appointment of armed guards aboard commercial vessels.
In recent months, several incidents have raised concerns about the return of piracy off the Horn of Africa coast.
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