A cargo vessel has been hijacked off Somalia after eight armed pirates boarded and seized control of the ship, according to a warning issued by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre on Monday. Maritime security company Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship Lutuf, a 1,401 dwt general cargo vessel built in 1995.
The vessel was boarded by eight armed persons at around 1136 hrs UTC, with the attackers subsequently taking control of the ship, according to UKMTO and Vanguard Tech. “The status of the crew remains unconfirmed, while authorities are investigating,” Vanguard Tech said.
The incident occurred about 4nm south of Mareeyo, Somalia, according to a report from the vessel’s company security officer. The latest hijacking comes amid a resurgence in pirate activity off Somalia in recent months, despite monsoon conditions generally being unfavourable for skiff launches.
In an advisory issued on Sunday, the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) raised the threat to shipping off the Somali coast to moderate, citing persistent opportunistic attacks. JMIC said four merchant vessels were being held by Somali pirate groups as of 16 August.
They are the Palau-flagged product tanker Honour 25, hijacked on 21 April; the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship Sward, hijacked on 26 April; the Togo-flagged product tanker Eureka, hijacked on 2 May; and the Tanzania-flagged product/chemical tanker Asana, hijacked on 17 July.