Pirates have hijacked an Iranian vessel off the coast of Somalia's coastal town of Eyl in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, a Somali businessman confirmed on Friday.
Bashiir Saeed Osman, who is the agent of the Iranian vessel, said the pirates have demanded a $400,000 ransom.
The pirates threatened additional hijackings, if the ransom is unpaid, according to media reports.
The pirates are holding the vessel with 16 crew, including Somali and Iranian sailors.
Rescue operation 'ongoing'
Somalia's semiautonomous state of Puntland Police Commander Muumin Abdi Shire told reporters that security agencies are responding to the hijacking and working on ways to release the vessel and the crew.
He said pirates took the vessel far east of the Somali Sea. According to Puntland-based TV SBC, the vessel is named al-Meraj1.
In 2020, pirates hijacked a Panama-flagged cargo ship that was travelling from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Mogadishu port.
It marks the second hijacking by pirates in Somali waters in three years and the 10th in eight years as the number of hijackings had fallen dramatically since 2017.
