Turkish Cargo Ship MV Lutuf Freed After 12 Days — Somalia Claims Military Rescue, Puntland Alleges Ransom Was Paid

The Cameroon-flagged, Turkish-operated general cargo vessel MV Lutuf — hijacked by eight armed men on August 17, 2026 roughly four nautical miles off Mareeyo in Puntland's Eyl district while carrying Turkish military supplies, communications equipment and satellite gear from the Port of Tekirdag bound for the TURKSOM base in Mogadishu, with 10 crew aboard (6 Indian, 1 Turkish, 1 Georgian, 2 Serbian security personnel) — was released around August 29-30, 2026 after 12 days in pirate hands. Somalia's Ministry of Defence said Turkish naval forces and the Somali armed forces conducted a 10-day joint operation that destroyed four pirate skiffs and killed 14 suspected pirates, with sustained pressure ultimately forcing the remaining hijackers to abandon the vessel; the ship resumed its voyage toward Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Puntland's Ministry of Security disputed this account, saying 'there was no operation by the Federal Government of Somalia and/or Türkiye that rescued the vessel' and alleging a ransom of roughly $2-2.5 million was paid, facilitated by federal officials who had been in phone contact with the pirates since the hijacking. The dispute is the latest flashpoint between Mogadishu and Puntland over control of and credit for counter-piracy operations along the Puntland coast, and adds a new tactical detail to the 2026 piracy resurgence: the previously hijacked vessel Sward was reportedly used as a 'mothership' in the boarding of Lutuf.