Piracy Incidents Rise Off Somalia Coast in April and May

Piracy has re-emerged off Somalia's coast. Numerous dhows and larger merchant vessels were targeted in April and May, with some ships and their crews held for ransom. In response, the Joint Maritime Information Center raised its piracy threat assessment to severe.

On 2 May, the Eureka oil tanker was seized while anchored in Yemeni waters. Puntland security officials said the pirates launched from a remote coastal area near the Gulf of Aden town of Qandala. They were reportedly demanding a US$10 million ransom while holding the vessel and its crew near Puntland.

The two successful April hijackings of the merchant vessels Honour 25 and Sward were made easier by their proximity to Somalia's shoreline. Neither ship was carrying armed security personnel. Several attacks at the end of 2025 had already caused concern.

The December to March northeast monsoon provided a brief weather-linked respite before incidents increased during the April to May inter-monsoon window.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing threatens the ecosystems, economies and social fabric of coastal populations. The seeming near-collapse of sea-dependent livelihoods with few alternative income options means many either leave to escape poverty or resort to piracy to earn a living.

Multinational naval patrols in the area since 2008 are now stretched thin by redeployments to the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The European Union's Operation Atalanta continues, but is limited to around two ships and air assets deployed concurrently.

The multinational counter-piracy Combined Task Force 151 continues, but is part of a United States-led maritime security effort headquartered in Bahrain. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres' 2022 report on piracy and armed robbery at sea off Somalia warned that the networks and operational knowledge underpinning piracy remained intact.