The maritime police in Somalia’s northern Puntland region announced that they had freed the oil tanker MT Cebo 1 and its 20-member crew after a 48-hour security operation that ended with forces storming the vessel, securing it and disarming the pirates.
This came as claims circulated on social media that Iraqis had taken part in the rescue operation, without official confirmation establishing that role or linking the circulated footage to the operation. The tanker, formerly named Siamol, sails under the Eritrean flag. Its crew includes four Arab nationals: two Syrians, an Iraqi and a Sudanese national.
Tanker route and ransom demand
In addition to the ransom, the vessel was carrying an oil shipment estimated to be worth more than $38 million, giving its seizure financial and security implications linked to the safety of navigation and maritime shipping in the region. Two days ago, coinciding with the scheduled ransom handover, Puntland’s maritime police announced that the security operation had succeeded.
Details of the tanker raid and the outcome of the confrontation
In a statement, the police said their forces had stormed the tanker and secured control of it, confirming that all 20 crew members had been freed without any injuries. Videos said to document parts of the operation circulated on local Puntland platforms, showing clashes and exchanges of fire between maritime police and pirates before the forces boarded the vessel and freed those being held.
The police announced that one pirate had been killed and five others wounded, while 41 were arrested. One police officer was also injured in the clashes. After Cebo 1’s release was announced, Iraqi newspapers and platforms circulated claims linking one of the crew members to Iraq’s al-Shaghanbah clan.
Claims of Iraqi involvement without official confirmation
The claims said that the detained Iraqi sailor belonged to the clan and that several of its members had taken part in the rescue in coordination with the Somali authorities. A video also circulated showing armed people firing from aboard a vessel, accompanied by claims that they were Iraqis from the clan and had taken part in clashes with the pirates.
The claims nevertheless remained officially unconfirmed, as neither Iraq nor Somalia issued confirmation that these people had taken part or that the video actually documented the freeing of the oil tanker Cebo 1. The circulated footage and claims prompted discussion among social media users, with some focusing on the sailors’ suffering and the risks they face, while others addressed the alleged role of clans in security operations outside Iraq.
Audience reaction to the rescue claims
“Imagine someone going out to work to feed his children, only to end up for weeks at gunpoint! Protecting sailors should be a non-negotiable priority.”
“What is the point of the government and its security institutions, which are responsible in situations like this, if clans are the ones protecting trade? Anyway, well done to the men of al-Shaghanbah.” A follower using the name al-Basri asked about the coordination reportedly involving the clan, saying: “Do al-Shaghanbah have a state so they can coordinate with another state? And what is the state’s job? Does everyone who has a problem now go and solve it himself?”
Musa addressed the circulating claims sarcastically, writing: “Let them hand over this area off the Somali coast to al-Shaghanbah and you’ll see what the mothers produce.”
By contrast, Aws focused on the risks piracy poses to international trade, saying: “Shipping off the Somali coast is among the most dangerous routes for global trade because of the intense pirate activity there; they are ranked among the most dangerous in the world.” Ship-tracking data indicate that Cebo 1 is currently sailing under Somali escort towards Garaad Port on the Indian Ocean in Puntland.
The area lies within an important maritime corridor for global trade, stretching through waters off the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden. It has faced security risks and piracy targeting commercial vessels at various times.
The tanker is also linked to the US sanctions file. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on it last December, alleging that it was linked to what Washington describes as Iran’s “shadow fleet”, which helps Tehran export oil. According to data from the International Maritime Bureau and reports by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, Cebo 1 is the 15th vessel to be hijacked in the region this year.
