At least eight Somali pirates boarded and seized control of the Cameroon-flagged 1,401-dwt general cargo ship Lutuf about 4.5 nautical miles south of Mareeyo off Somalia on 17 August, according to the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean.
The incident occurred at about 1136 UTC in Somali territorial waters near the Eyl district. The armed group took control of the vessel after boarding, while the crew was later said to be safe.
EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta was investigating the incident and monitoring the situation.
Lutuf, IMO 9109134, is a 1995-built general cargo ship measuring about 76 metres in length and 12 metres in beam. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was listed as its declared destination.
Four other merchant ships were already being held by Somali pirate groups as of 16 August: the Palau-flagged product tanker Honour 25, the St Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship Sward, the Togo-flagged product tanker Eureka and the Tanzania-flagged product and chemical tanker Asana.
The seizure comes during southwest monsoon conditions that generally restrict small-boat operations farther offshore, although attacks remain possible in sheltered waters close to the Somali coast.
Polar Movement Shipping and Trading Ltd is a Turkey-based shipping company that was identified as Lutuf’s owner. More recent records continue to associate the company with the vessel, but current public databases do not consistently identify its registered owner or manager.