- A renewed surge in piracy off Somalia has seen at least four vessels seized in a week.
- Authorities have since raised the regional threat level to “substantial” and warn ships to proceed with caution.
- The resurgence comes amid wider maritime disruption, with shipping already affected by issues in the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns that piracy could further endanger critical routes through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
At least four vessels were seized by unauthorised persons off the coast of Somalia in the last week, with authorities declaring a ‘substantial’ regional threat amid a reignited wave of piracy. This comes as maritime shipments grapple with threats to security in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Sunday, 26 April, a Turkish general cargo ship was hijacked by armed men off the Somali coast. Earlier last week, on Tuesday, 21 April, a tanker transiting the Somali basin with a flag of the Republic of Palau was taken by six gunmen who redirected it 80 miles south into Somali territorial waters, reported the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The tanker, Honour, had 17 crew members on board. It was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil headed towards the Somali capital of Mogadishu, and was hijacked as it was sailing roughly 45 nm northeast of Mareeyo.
Other recent incidents include a cargo vessel attacked just six nautical miles (nm) from Garacad, and a vessel carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the Mombasa port in Kenya.
In its advisory to commercial shipping in the region, “Due to the increased threat of possible PAG (Pirate Action Group) activity, vessels are advised to transit with caution,” said the UKMTO.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) also upgraded the threat level in the area from ‘low’ to ‘substantial’, indicating a strong potential for attack.
Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s (EU) naval mission for Somalia, is investigating three of the attacks.
“Vessels operating in the area are strongly advised to maintain a heightened level of vigilance… particularly within 150 nautical miles of the Somali coast between Mogadishu and Hafun,” said the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO), Operation Atalanta’s information service.
Somalia, widely considered a failed state, sits on the Horn of Africa, just off the edge of the Red Sea and facing the Indian Ocean. Its coast was notorious for frequent incidents of piracy from 2005 to 2012, largely attributed to the country’s instability and lack of effective governance.
The attacks, which peaked in 2011, cost the shipping industry between $0.9 billion and $3.3 billion.
Since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, eyes are on the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The waterway, named ‘the gate of tears’ in Arabic, provides access from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
As maritime shipments ordinarily crossing the Strait of Hormuz face a dire need to reroute, the resurgence of piracy off the Somali coast threatens transit across the Bab al-Mandeb.
