September 26, 2026 — Members of Iraq’s Shaghanba tribe say they recovered the oil tanker Sibu 1 from pirates after coordinating with the Somali government. Their account credits Somali authorities with tracking the vessel and puts the Iraqi group at the center of the armed rescue.
The tanker was hijacked in August. According to the tribal account circulated in Arabic, group members reached the vessel after coordinating with the Somali government and closely monitoring the operation. Sheik Ali al-Shaghanbi told Shafaq News that about 40 tribe members took part in recovering the tanker and freeing its crew. He said seven suspected pirates were captured while others escaped. Those details are his account of the operation; a full official timeline has not been released.
The rescue comes as Somalia updates its response to a resurgence of piracy. Both houses of the federal parliament approved revisions to the country’s anti-piracy and anti-kidnapping legislation, intended to strengthen investigations, prosecutions and maritime cooperation. Reporting on this rescue does not identify the revised law as the specific authority under which the Iraqi group acted.
The Iraqi account illustrates the practical value of cooperation: information about a hijacked vessel, coordination with Somali authorities and a recovery effort by people connected to its owner. Further details from the Somali government and the ship’s crew would establish precisely how the vessel was located, what authorization was given, and how the operation unfolded.
