Pirates hijacked a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship carrying Turkish weapons and communications equipment off Somalia’s Puntland coast earlier this week, according to a Somali official. The vessel, identified as the M/V LUTUF, was seized on Monday approximately 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district.
The ship, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was en route to a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu. The 10-member crew consisted of six Indian nationals, one Turkish citizen, one Georgian, and two Serbian security guards.
Eight pirates, believed to be linked to a previous hijacking incident, took control of the ship and steered it toward the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district. Subsequently, two Turkish-owned vessels approached the hijacked ship, while Turkish helicopters and drones monitored the area. On Tuesday, a small boat delivered khat, a stimulant, to the vessel. Following the boat's departure, an airstrike occurred, resulting in the deaths of four men and injuries to two others. The circumstances of the airstrike, including the perpetrator and the identities of those killed, could not be immediately independently verified. The status of the M/V LUTUF, its crew, and its cargo remains unclear.