An armed group attempted to attack a commercial vessel sailing off the coast of Mogadishu, firing shots at the ship as they tried to board it, according to a report published by Reuters.

The incident occurred on Monday morning approximately 534 kilometres (332 nautical miles) east of Mogadishu, when four unidentified individuals approached the vessel in a small boat and opened fire. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that the ship’s captain reported an attempted act of piracy, which failed after warning shots were fired and defensive security measures were taken by the armed guards onboard.

The attackers were later seen retreating towards a larger vessel located around five nautical miles east of the attack site, maritime officials said.

According to Reuters, Vanguard Maritime Risk Management — a maritime security risk group — confirmed that the targeted vessel was the Stolt Sagaland, a chemical tanker sailing under the Cayman Islands flag. Vanguard and other maritime security sources said the crew responded quickly by increasing speed and employing anti-piracy tactics, preventing the attackers from boarding. No injuries or damage were reported.

Stolt-Nielsen, the company that owns the Stolt Sagaland, also confirmed the attempted attack, adding that the incident occurred on 3 November and that all crew and ship systems remained unharmed.

The attempted hijacking comes amid renewed warnings of rising piracy threats along Somalia’s coastline, following several other incidents reported recently in the Indian Ocean — raising concerns that Somali piracy risks may be re-emerging in the region.

Maritime security authorities have urged all vessels operating in the Indian Ocean and along Somali waters to maintain heightened vigilance and closely monitor alerts and advisories issued by UKMTO and other international security bodies.