UAE Dhow Vessel Hijacked off Somalia, Briefly Serves as Pirates' Mother Ship

According to AFP on Wednesday (6/5/2026), there is no information yet regarding the fate of the crew of the Fahad-4, which was hijacked at the end of April by a group of 11 individuals after departing from Mogadishu carrying a cargo of oranges.

Puntland security officials told AFP that the perpetrators set off from the area near Garacad port, approximately 600 kilometres north of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

After taking control of the dhow, the pirates “sailed in Somali waters using the hijacked vessel as a mother ship to attempt attacks on other ships,” one source told AFP.

However, the pirates were forced to abandon the ship on 4 May because “their supplies were running low and they were unable to attack other vessels due to the increased vigilance of ships passing through Somali waters in recent weeks,” another official said.

Several other vessels hijacked in recent weeks remain under pirate control.

According to maritime monitors, the pirates had previously seized the Barbados-flagged tanker Honour 25 on 21 April off the coast of Puntland.

A few days later, on 26 April, the Syrian-flagged M/V Sward also fell victim in waters further from the Somali coast.

In the Gulf of Aden, pirates seized the Togo-flagged fuel tanker Eureka off the coast of Yemen before directing it towards Somali waters.

In its latest bulletin, the Indian Ocean’s Maritime Security Centre, linked to European naval forces in the Horn of Africa, stated it is almost certain that the Fahad-4 was involved in a failed attack attempt on the Maltese tanker M/V Minerva Pisces on 28 April.

In that incident, a dhow approached the tanker, but the group attempting to board cancelled the action after the security team appeared armed.

Somali authorities have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the Fahad-4.