Overview
- The cement carrier Sward, which was hijacked Monday 6 nautical miles northeast of Garacad, is under pirate control and heading toward shore with 15 crew aboard, according to UKMTO and security firms.
- Security officials say a new Garacad-based group carried out the seizure, which a Puntland maritime police officer said involved nine boarders.
- Authorities are tracking the ship as Puntland stays silent, with officials warning that clan ties make raids risky.
- The incident follows the tanker Honour 25 hijacking earlier in the week and has sharpened concern about a piracy uptick as naval assets focus on other regional crises.
- The rise is linked by officials and analysts to poverty, easy access to guns, and anger over illegal foreign trawlers, a mix that can raise local prices and invite heavier foreign patrols.