After nearly a decade of decline, piracy off Somalia spiked in 2026, adding another threat to commercial shipping already contending with continuing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
Authorities in Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region said this week that five crewmembers aboard the hijacked fuel tanker Honour 25 were killed before security forces retook the vessel. The tanker, carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, had been seized in April with 17 crewmembers aboard. Sixteen suspected pirates were detained during the operation.
Six commercial vessels have been seized since late April, according to a recent analysis by the Royal United Services Institute, while other vessels have reported attempted boardings, attacks and suspicious approaches.
The increase comes amid heightened maritime insecurity across the region, with international naval resources stretched by conflicts and attacks affecting shipping in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
In the Strait of Hormuz, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported Sept. 30 that three tankers had been struck by unknown projectiles in separate incidents disclosed through delayed reports. Authorities were investigating the attacks.
Commercial traffic through Hormuz has nevertheless continued, with crude oil and LNG movements showing signs of recovery in late September even as security risks remain elevated.
Cover image to this story: A suspected pirate skiff off Somalia in this 2009 U.S. Photo: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons
