Somali Pirates Hijack Cameroon-Flagged Cargo Ship Lutuf Off Mareeyo

At least 8 armed pirates boarded and seized control of the Cameroon-flagged general cargo vessel Lutuf (1,400 dwt, built 1995) approximately 4 nautical miles south of Mareeyo on Somalia's coast at 11:36 UTC on Monday, August 17, 2026, according to UKMTO. The vessel was en route from Turkey to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The crew was reported safe; EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta is investigating and monitoring the situation, and no group had claimed responsibility as of publication. The incident is the latest in a resurgence of Somali piracy in 2026: an UnHerd report published August 10 put the total at 67 seafarers held hostage across 4 ships, including the fuel tanker Honour 25 (hijacked April 2026, still held). Maritime Executive reported member states of the Djibouti Code of Conduct are moving to establish a new regional counter-piracy task force in response to the wave of incidents.