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Somali Pirates Hijack Togo-Flagged Oil Tanker in Gulf of Aden, Seek Ransom
Pirates hijacked the Emirati diesel-carrying vessel in the Gulf of Aden on May 2, 2026, and moved it to Somalia’s Puntland coast. The incident is the latest in four vessel seizures near Somalia in under two weeks. FDD reported the hijacking coincides with documented Houthi support for Somali pirate networks.
May 14, 5:07 PM·2m read1 source
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Somali pirates seized the Togo-flagged oil tanker Eureka on May 2, 2026, in the Gulf of Aden and are demanding $10 million for its release. The vessel was transporting Emirati diesel when it was hijacked and subsequently taken to the coast of Somalia’s Puntland region. Puntland is home to ISIS-Somalia and pirate networks.
Pirates seized four vessels in waters near Somalia in just under two weeks spanning April and May 2026. At its peak in 2011, Somali piracy cost shippers and governments around $7 billion as a result of security and evasion costs, increased insurance, ransom payments, and counter-piracy operations.
The broader security deterioration on land and at sea across the Horn of Africa, Yemen, and Gulf of Aden/Red Sea is enabling a rise of piracy now.
This resurgence has been exacerbated by the Houthi and Iranian closures of major maritime chokepoints, which have demonstrated the effectiveness and utility of maritime aggression. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz elevated the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as an essential bypass, increasing the impact of piracy that threatens these critical waterways.
Even the threat of adding Red Sea disruption to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz panics markets.
Maritime security in the Middle East has been precarious since the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. The international community struggled to stop Houthi attacks launched in solidarity with Hamas on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Even the seven-week air campaign by the United States against the Houthis in the spring of 2025 did not deter their attacks on commercial vessels once the air assault ceased.
