A regional official told Reuters on Thursday that Somali pirates have hijacked a ship flying the flag of Panama, in the first successful hijacking of a ship since 2017.
Moussa Salah, the governor of the Gardavo region in the semi-autonomous northern Puntland region, said the ship was on its way from the UAE to the port of Mogadishu when it appeared to encounter mechanical problems.
He added that the ship was attacked by 6 pirates on Wednesday night, and that it was not clear how many crew members and their nationalities were, but negotiations were underway for their release.
The International Maritime Bureau said that the pirates, at the height of their power in 2011, launched 237 attacks on ships passing off the Somali coast, and took hundreds of hostages.
However, the frequency of attacks subsequently decreased sharply, especially with shipping companies resorting to better security systems, including setting up observation points, sailing in areas far from the Somali coasts, and hiring private security companies.
International warships operating as part of the coalition also helped reduce the number of attacks.
3 Iranian hostages released
On the other hand, a senior adviser in the field of maritime crimes told Reuters on Thursday that 3 Iranian hostages had been released by Somali pirates since 2015.
These men are the last remaining crew members of the Iranian fishing vessel FV Siraj, which was seized by pirates on March 22, 2015.
"This marks the end of an era of Somali piracy and the pain and suffering of the forgotten Somali hostages," said John Steed, coordinator of the Hostage Support Program, a Nairobi-based organization.