Somali pirates have resumed using a hijacked cargo vessel as a “mothership” to carry out attacks on ships off the coast of Puntland, marking a resurgence of piracy in the region. The cargo ship, MV Sward, was seized in late April and is now facilitating fresh kidnappings and ransom demands in the Indian Ocean.

On April 26, the MV Sward, a 330-foot cement carrier, was taken by pirates while en route from the Egyptian port of Suez to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship’s crew consisted of 15 Syrians and two Indians. After capturing the vessel, the pirates navigated it to Somalia’s Mudug region, anchoring near the fishing settlement of Ceel-Dhanaane. Since then, the ship has moved along the Somali coastline, extending its range northward close to Bander Bayla.

From this position, pirates launched coordinated attacks using speedboats to seize other vessels. On July 16, two Iranian fishing boats were captured in such an operation, while at one point last week, a total of six vessels were being held offshore near Kulule. Among these were the MV Sward, two oil tankers—Honour 25 and MT Eureka—and the chemical tanker MT Asana, along with the two Iranian vessels.

Puntland security officials reported that local clan support has bolstered the pirates, complicating efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. This reinvigoration of piracy mirrors tactics common during the peak of Somali piracy approximately 15 years ago, when hijacked ships served as bases for further attacks, severely disrupting maritime traffic and incurring significant financial losses through ransom payments and increased shipping costs.

Authorities in the Puntland region recently arrested a prominent pirate leader involved in the hijacking of the MV Sward. The individual, who conducted ransom negotiations in English and Arabic, was taken to a police station in the coastal town of Garacad. However, a militia assault on the facility the following day to free the suspect resulted in a gunfight that killed one police officer and wounded another.

Following the attack, security officials acknowledged the difficulty of detaining the suspect in Garacad due to his powerful clan affiliations. Additional security forces were deployed with the aim of relocating him to a more secure location, underscoring the challenges faced by local authorities in combating piracy amid entrenched clan dynamics.

The recent escalation in Somali piracy highlights ongoing security vulnerabilities in the region’s maritime corridors, posing renewed risks to international shipping and regional stability.