Ankara (Somalia Today) — Turkey said Friday it was supporting Somali authorities following the hijacking of a vessel in Somali territorial waters, as two Turkish naval ships prepare to visit Djibouti next week as part of Ankara’s expanding maritime mission around Somalia.
Turkish Defence Ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk said the TCG Kemalreis and TCG Yzb. Gungor Durmus would visit Djibouti on September 3-4 to support the Somali Naval Task Group and logistics missions to Somalia.
The ministry separately addressed the recent hijacking, saying the Turkish Armed Forces Somalia Task Force continued to help Somalia strengthen its ability to combat terrorism and piracy under bilateral agreements.
“Necessary support is being provided to the Somali authorities, in coordination with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the incident that occurred in Somali territorial waters,” the ministry said.
It did not identify the vessel, specify what assistance Turkey was providing or say whether the two ships due in Djibouti would take part in any operation linked to the hijacking.
The comments come amid growing scrutiny of Turkish military activity off Puntland, Somalia’s semi-autonomous northeastern federal member state, where pirates are holding the M/V LUTUF and its crew.
Hijacked arms ship
Pirates seized the Cameroon-flagged LUTUF on August 17 about 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district before steering it towards the Nugaal coast.
A Somali official told the Associated Press that the vessel was carrying Turkish weapons, communications equipment and satellite systems bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
Its 10-member crew comprises six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards.
Somalia Today reported this week that the pirates had demanded about $2 million for the ship’s release. It remains unclear whether formal ransom negotiations have begun or whether any party has agreed to pay.
The hijacking has also triggered a dispute over deadly air strikes near the area where the vessel has been held.
Puntland Deputy Security Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Dujana accused Turkey of carrying out two strikes that he said killed at least 13 people.
He also accused Somalia’s federal government of involvement, but did not provide independently verifiable evidence linking either government to the attacks.
No government or military force has publicly claimed responsibility for the strikes, and Somalia Today has not independently verified Puntland’s allegations.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry did not directly address the accusations in Thursday’s statement or say whether Turkish forces had conducted air operations around the hijacked ship.
Somalia’s State Minister for Defence Omar Ali Abdi said on August 22 that the federal government was aware of military operations and strikes taking place off Puntland and was preparing a report.
He did not identify the force involved or say whether Mogadishu had authorised the attacks.
Puntland has called for an investigation into the strikes.
Wider naval role
Turkey has steadily expanded its military and maritime presence in Somalia under a series of defence agreements between Ankara and Mogadishu.
The Turkish parliament last month extended the deployment of Turkish forces in Somalia for another two years, keeping the mandate in force until July 2028.
The authorisation allows Turkish forces to operate in areas agreed with Somalia, including its maritime zones, and to support efforts against terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other security threats.
That role also rests on a 10-year defence and economic cooperation agreement signed in 2024, under which Turkey agreed to help Somalia build, train and equip its navy and strengthen security along its coastline.
Turkish naval forces are already conducting protection missions off Somalia. In July, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said the TCG Goksu, TCG Gelibolu and TCG Bartin were escorting the Turkish drilling ship Cagri Bey and three support vessels operating off the Somali coast.
Turkey also runs a major military training facility in Mogadishu and has spent more than a decade training and equipping Somali security forces.
The expanded naval activity comes as piracy has again emerged as a threat in waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.
The International Maritime Organisation said on August 24 that six vessels and more than 90 seafarers were being held by pirates and armed robbers in the region.
“We cannot allow the resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters to go unaddressed,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, calling for the immediate release of those being held.
The International Maritime Bureau recorded 38 piracy and armed robbery incidents worldwide in the first half of 2026. Somali pirates accounted for 94 per cent of all crew members taken hostage during the period.