Somalia’s federal government on Wednesday, July 23, condemned the interception of the general cargo ship Sea World by the country’s northern Puntland state as the vessel carried a consignment of Turkish military equipment to Mogadishu.
Puntland’s maritime police seized the ship in the Gulf of Aden on July 18 after it reportedly developed mechanical problems off the Somali coast.
The regional state accused the ship of entering Somali waters illegally and carrying weapons that endangered the security and stability of the Horn of Africa.
The Somali federal information ministry said the ship was transporting military equipment to a Turkish-run military base in Mogadishu, describing its interception as an act of “hijacking and aggression”.
“In accordance with the bilateral defense cooperation agreements between the Federal Republic of Somalia and the Republic of Türkiye, the cargo was legally authorized and fully compliant with both national and international laws,” it added in a statement it shared on social media.
“In addition to the military cargo, the vessel was also carrying commercial goods owned by Somali traders.”
The ministry said the Somali provisional constitution exclusively mandated the federal government with the responsibility for national defence, both on land and at sea.
“The hijacking of this vessel, carried out by individuals affiliated with the Puntland state, is a direct violation of the provisional constitution and undermines the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the nation,” it added.
The ministry said any unlawful seizure of a commercial vessel or one with legitimate authorization from a government “constitutes an act of piracy and is a criminal offence under the Somali penal code” and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
It called for “the immediate and unconditional release of the vessel, given that it carries legally authorized cargo intended for defense purposes critical to the security and stability of the country”.
The ministry warned Puntland “against continued unlawful operations along its coastal areas” and called for its “cooperation with the federal government to ensure secure maritime passage for vessels operating under the authority of the Somali government”.
“As the custodian of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia, the federal government will not accept any action that endangers the sovereignty of the nation or the security of its waters,” it said.
“The unlawful seizure of the Sea World vessel compels the federal government to take lawful security measures against maritime zones and coastal landing sites that serve as hubs for acts of piracy, in violation of both national and international laws.”
The ministry also called on Puntland and other semiautonomous Somali regional states “to respect the constitutional mandates of the federal government regarding defence and maritime management”.
“Any unauthorized interference threatens both national and regional security,” it said.
Escalating tensions
Puntland’s regional administration did not immediately respond to the ministry’s statement.
According to Vesselfinder.com, a vessel-tracking website and maritime news provider, Sea World is a general cargo ship built in 2005 and currently sailing under the flag of Comoros.
The ship’s seizure marked an escalation in tensions between Puntland and Somalia’s federal government over a number of issues, including resource-sharing, plans for historic direct elections and recent changes to the country’s provisional constitution, which was adopted in 2012.
It came days after Puntland linked the federal government to deadly clan violence in the northern Sanaag region.
In 2024, the semiautonomous regional state said it was withdrawing its recognition of the federal government over their disagreements.
