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The 'Sward' was released by Somalian pirates on Sep 11, 2026, after a ransom in an unknown amount was paid. The release took place near the coastal town of Garakad. All 17 crew members remained safely on board. The crew included 15 Syrian and two Indian nationals. The 'Sward' had been captured on April 26 and since then also been used by the pirates to capture other vessels. These included two Iranian fishing boats and the Cameroon-flagged cargo m/v 'Lutuf'.The kidnappers left the vessel on the afternoon in several vehicles, heading toward the shore before entering the town’s neighborhoods. It spent about 138 days under the control of Somali pirates after it was hijacked off Somalia’s northern coast on April 26. The European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta confirmed that the 'Sward' was transporting fertiliser to Mombasa.

The 'YM Pioneer' was boarded by at least one perpetrator at Anchorage H13, southwest of the Vung Tau Light House in Lubuk Gaung Port on Aug 23, 2026, at 01.06 a.m. The intruder stole ship's stores.

The 'Glamor', enroute from Salalah to Djibouti, has been subjected to a hijacking attempt by Somali pirates, while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, on Sep 10, 2026 at 9 a.m. The ship was first approached about 98 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukalla. About 38 nautical miles southwest of Balhaf the ship stopped, reporting the incident to the UKMTO. The crew moved into the ship’s citadel after the skiff approached. The attackers then boarded the vessel but could not take control of it. They later left the ship, and the 'Glamor' continued its voyage. All crew members were reported safe. The hijacking of the 'Glamor' off Yemen was the latest sign that Somali pirate groups were regaining the capability to strike commercial vessels far from shore. The incident was the first reported piracy case since August 20 and the 25th reported ship hijacking worldwide since the start of 2026. The bulk carrier has mainly been operating in and out of Djibouti. There was no information about the attackers or the group they belonged to. Ships and aircraft from the European Union’s Operation Atalanta counter-piracy task force investigatedthe incident, which happened off an area of Yemen that was not controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi movement.

Turkish Navy and Somali National Armed Forces freed the 'Lutuf', which was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Aug 17 off Jifle, near the town of Eyl in Somalia's northeastern Nugaal region, in a joint operation on Aug 29, 2026, killing 14 pirates, injuring two more, and destroying four of their boats. The whole rescue operation lasted 10 days. Following a pursuit lasting several days, Turkish and Somali forces moved to execute an operation to free the ship and end the pirates' control over it. Turkish commandos working from a frigate off the coast of Somalia retook the cargo ship, which was transporting supplies to the TURKSOM Military Base in Somalia when it was targeted by pirates on the morning of Aug 29, after rejecting ransom demands by the pirates. Unconfirmed reports said the pirates had initially demanded $10 million, but it was later lowered to $2 million. Earlier, between four and six pirates were killed when they left the 'Lutuf' in a small boat to resupply. The ship was then placed in a full lockdown by the pirates. The crew of the Lutuf consisted of 10 members: six Indian nationals, one Turkish national, one Georgian, and two Serbian security guards. There was, however, a competing account from Puntland. Officials in the semi-autonomous region have disputed the claim that the 'Lutuf' was liberated through a Turkish-Somali military assault, and have suggested that the vessel and its crew were released following the payment of an alleged ransom at approximately US$2.5 million, although this has not been independently confirmed. The conflicting accounts meant that it remained unclear whether the military operation had directly resulted in the release of the vessel, or whether negotiations and a ransom payment ultimately secured the crew’s freedom. The ministry did not disclose further details on the nationality of the crew, the ship's cargo, or its intended destination.

The ' Juno Pacific' was boarded by at least two perpetrators at Lubuk Gaung Port on Aug 24, 2026, at 5.25 a.m. The unarmed intruders stole spare parts of a generator.