MOGADISHU (SD) -Suspected Somali pirates have successfully hijacked a cargo ship registered in Sri Lanka, with six crew members. This incident marks the latest attack on Indian Ocean vessels, as reported by international naval forces.

A spokesman for the Sri Lankan navy, Gayan Wickramasuriya, stated that the ship Lorenzo Putha–4 was seized on Saturday approximately 840 nautical miles off the southern coast of Mogadishu.

International naval forces have been diverted to the northern part of the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea to counter Houthi attacks, raising fears that Somali pirates may revive and take advantage of the change.

Following the ship’s hijacking, Sri Lanka promptly deployed its naval forces to the northern waters of the Indian Ocean to combat pirate activities, as Wickramasuriya explained in a statement to AFP.