Crime

Report: Somali Piracy Surges Again Amid Iran War

Is this due to unresolved onshore failures or an exploited security gap left by Western military priorities?

Published SEP 1

Report: Somali Piracy Surges Again Amid Iran War

Story

Above: Puntland Maritime Police Forces (PMPF) patrol against pirate attacks off the coast in Puntland, Somalia, on Jan. 29, 2024. Image credit: Abuukar Mohamed Muhidin/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Facts

Piracy off the Horn of Africa has reached its highest levels since 2013, with at least 15 attacks recorded this year so far, including eight in the Gulf of Aden since May, an AFP analysis of International Maritime Organization data published on Thursday indicates.
The Daily Star
RTE.ie
AFP
Six commercial vessels have been seized off Somalia since April, including the Honour 25, the Sward, the Eureka, the Asana, the Lutuf and the Seamull, with five still held when the sixth was taken in August.
The New Arab
Circuit Magazine
Experts say the diversion of naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea following the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war in February has reduced patrols near Somalia, creating an opening for pirate networks to resume operations.
BBC News
Mwakilishi
Politico
Between 2005 and 2012, pirates carried out over 1,000 attacks, hijacked 218 vessels and collected between $315 million and $385 million as ransom, before a multinational naval coalition largely suppressed the threat by 2013. Since then, attacks had been typically limited to just a few a year, with five recorded in 2025.
defenceWeb
Al Jazeera
AFP
Somalia loses an estimated $300 million a year to illegal fishing in its waters, according to the African Development Bank, a grievance that has been cited as one factor driving communities, like those in Puntland’s Mudug region, toward piracy.
The New Arab
The Telegraph
Al Jazeera
Piracy is increasingly financed by investors in Somalia and Yemen who supply crews with weapons, satellite phones and navigation equipment. Criminal networks also facilitate arms trafficking, according to officials and researchers.
The Telegraph
Al Jazeera
The Daily Star

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative B

The U.S. war with Iran pulled Western naval forces toward the Persian Gulf, and Somali pirates seized the moment — six commercial ships hijacked since April alone. This is a direct consequence of misplaced military priorities leaving a massive security gap off Somalia's coast. Global trade is already feeling the pain through rising shipping costs.

BBC News

NEXTA on X

Narrative A

Somali piracy is surging because onshore drivers — poverty, corruption and weak governance — were never addressed. Ransom payments are fueling the cycle, with demands as high as $10 million per vessel, giving pirate groups capital to expand operations. Until Somalia's governance crisis is fixed, piracy will remain a persistent threat.

War on the Rocks