Brief hijacking shows return of piracy to Somalia coast
MOGADISHU, Somalia — The brief hijacking of a Lebanese-registered ship has drawn attention to the resurgence of piracy off the coast of Somalia, after five years of inactivity.
Pirates boarded the OS 35, a cargo ship, Saturday evening but then abandoned it Sunday before naval forces rescued the ship, Mohamed Abdirahman, former director of Puntland’s marine forces, told The Associated Press.
The pirates were unable to take the crew hostage because they locked themselves in a safe room, said Abdirahman. No pirates were arrested and international naval forces are now escorting the ship, he said.
The ship was hijacked off the coast of war-torn Yemen near Socotra Island.