Turkish and Somali forces have regained control of general cargo vessel Lutuf after a 10-day operation following the vessel’s hijacking off Puntland. Somalia’s Defence Ministry said 14 suspected pirates were killed and four pirate boats destroyed. The remaining attackers abandoned the ship before the forces took control.
The 1,400-dwt Cameroon-flagged vessel was seized on August 17, about four nautical miles south of Mareeyo near Eyl. Eight armed men reportedly boarded the ship.
The vessel sailed from Tekirdag in late July, bound for Dar es Salaam. Somali officials said it was carrying Turkish weapons, communications equipment and satellite systems for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
The 10-person crew included six Indian nationals, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards. Somali authorities said the crew and vessel were released. They did not provide further details on the crew’s condition.
The Turkish Navy and Somali forces monitored the vessel throughout the 10-day operation. Somalia’s Defence Ministry said the ship was retaken on Saturday, August 29, after the forces rejected the pirates’ ransom demands.
Unconfirmed media reports said the pirates initially demanded $10 million, later reducing the amount to $2 million. Puntland authorities have challenged the official account, alleging that a ransom was eventually paid to secure the vessel’s release.
The release comes as piracy concerns are rising again in waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. On August 24, the IMO said six vessels and more than 90 seafarers were being held by pirates and armed robbers in the region. The organisation called for stronger international naval cooperation and renewed anti-piracy measures.
