After years of near-eradication, piracy off the coast of Somalia has returned with a sharp uptick in attacks, prompting maritime security officials to issue urgent warnings for commercial and civilian shipping transiting the region. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the leading body monitoring maritime security in the Indian Ocean, has upgraded the regional threat assessment to “substantial” following a spate of hijackings and attempted boardings in the past seven days.
The most recent incident unfolded Sunday, when unidentified unauthorized individuals seized a cargo vessel roughly six nautical miles off the Somali coastal town of Garacad, steering the ship into Somali territorial waters. No additional details on the crew, cargo, or current status of the vessel have been released as of initial reporting.
This hijacking marks the fourth confirmed targeted vessel in a single week. On April 21, a separate hijacking was reported off the coast of Mareeyo in northern Somalia. Just one day later, security officials confirmed that pirates seized the oil tanker *Honour 25* carrying 17 crew members as it sailed near the Somali coast. Under pirate control, the vessel — whose crew includes 10 Pakistani nationals, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and one Myanmarese citizen — has been anchored close to shore between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla. Two more vessels, a Somali-flagged fishing boat and another oil tanker, were seized this past Thursday. On the same day, two armed individuals in a small craft attempted to board a second cargo vessel, only retreating after the ship’s crew fired warning shots to repel the attack.
In its official advisory, UKMTO noted that current sea and weather conditions are ideal for small boat operations, the tactic most commonly used by pirate action groups (PAGs) to approach and board larger unsuspecting vessels. “Due to the increased threat of possible PAG activity, vessels are advised to transit with caution,” the statement read.
This resurgence marks a stark reversal of years of progress. Just three years ago, pirate attacks in this stretch of the Indian Ocean — once one of the most dangerous waterways for global shipping — had been almost completely eliminated. At the peak of Somali piracy between 2005 and 2012, the World Bank estimates pirate groups earned between $339 million and $413 million by holding crew and vessels hostage for large ransom payments, disrupting global trade routes and forcing shipping companies to pay huge premiums for insurance and security escorts.