Monday May 18, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State security forces detained suspected pirates on Sunday in a sweep across Somalia’s Bari region, stepping up pressure on groups accused of trying to revive maritime crime along the coast. According to Puntland State security officials, the suspects are thought to have ties to pirate networks linked to attacks, kidnappings and attempted hijackings of commercial ships in Somali waters and along nearby Red Sea shipping lanes. The operations form part of a wider effort to block…

Thursday May 14, 2026 MT Honour 25 is one of the two product tankers being held off the coast of Somalia by pirates (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA) Alarm is mounting among the families of seafarers trapped aboard two product tankers seized by Somali pirates, as reports emerge that the gunmen are pressing harder for ransom and tightening control over the ships. The vessels, both laden with fuel cargoes, remain under pirate watch off the Somali coast. Authorities say they are tracking the ships, but one family member said any attempt to…

By Ariba ShahidThursday May 14, 2026 Families of the Pakistani hostage crew members of the Oil Products Tanker the HONOUR 25 that was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, hold placards during a protest, calling the government to take immediate action for the safe return of their loved ones, in Karachi, Pakistan May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro Purchase Licensing Rights In Karachi on Wednesday, Ambreen Fatima stood with her children and pleaded for the release of her husband, one of 10 Pakistani crew members…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The families of crew members aboard the hijacked commercial vessel “MT Eureka” say Somali pirates have raised their ransom demand to $10 million, deepening fears for the sailors being held off the Somali coast. Amiira Mohamed, the wife of Egyptian engineer Mohamed Radi, who is among eight Egyptian sailors on the ship, said her husband was briefly allowed to call her by phone. “He told me the situation is very difficult and pleaded for anyone who can help to intervene for their release,” she said.…

Thursday May 7, 2026 Somali pirates have left a hijacked Emirati dhow loaded with lemons adrift after failing in an effort to use it as a floating launch pad for attacks on other ships, security sources in Somalia’s Puntland State state told AFP. The fate of the crew of Fahad-4 remains unclear. No information was immediately available on what happened to the vessel’s sailors after the ship was seized in late April by an 11-man pirate gang as it left Mogadishu with its citrus cargo. Amid a recent surge in similar seizures,…

Ismail DilawarFriday May 1, 2026 The collage created on April 30, 2026, shows (left) Syed Hussain Yousuf’s daughter looking at his photo on a mobile phone, pleading for his safe return, and (right) a photo of Syed Hussain Yousuf. (AN Photo) A family in Karachi is living through every parent’s worst fear after a pirate assault off Somalia stranded a Pakistani tanker crew member at sea and pulled his 12-year-old daughter out of school. Syeda Masooma Batool has not been attending classes since the MT Honour 25 was seized on…

Thursday April 30, 2026 Garacad (AX) — Fighting broke out in the Garacad area of Mudug region on Thursday morning after Puntland State security forces engaged suspected pirates, leaving several people feared dead and others wounded. Local residents said the confrontation began when Puntland State forces moved against armed men believed to be connected to recent piracy incidents along the coast. Among those injured is the commander of the Jariiban district police station, Abdullahi Abdi Elmi “Guray Dusaaye” (Booyaax),…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 A cargo ship is seen in a port in central Mogadishu Suspected pirates have seized a cargo vessel off Somalia, according to officials and maritime security groups, in what appears to be the latest sign that insecurity is returning to waters once notorious for such attacks. The reported hijacking on Monday was the second off Somalia in less than a week. The target was the Sward, a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged ship carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. The incident comes at…

Harry SekulichMonday April 27, 2026 Shipping routes off Somalia are once again under close scrutiny after a cargo vessel was seized in what authorities believe was a fresh piracy incident, prompting warnings that the danger to commercial traffic in the region is rising. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) lifted the threat level for the area to "substantial" after saying "unauthorised persons" took control of the ship on Sunday and forced it toward Somalia's territorial waters. At least four vessels have been targeted…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A suspected pirate team seized a St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship off Somalia’s coast Monday and was steering it toward shore, maritime security firms said, underscoring a fresh uptick in pirate activity in the area. British security companies Vanguard and Ambrey said the vessel, identified as Sward, is believed to have come under pirate control after being boarded near Godobjiran in central Somalia. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the attack occurred about 6…