A cargo ship was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Monday after eight gunmen boarded it and took control, the UK's Merchant Marine Operations Agency said.
According to the statement, the incident occurred about 4 nautical miles south of Mareeyo. The company's security officer reported that armed and unauthorized persons entered the vessel and took control of it.
So far, ownership of the ship has not been revealed and no group has claimed responsibility for the hijacking.
The incident revives concerns about piracy off the coast of Somalia, which was particularly prevalent between 2008 and 2018. After a period of calm, piracy incidents have begun to increase again since late 2023, at a time of heightened security tensions in the region.
