Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] While all attention is focused on the actions of Yemen's Houthis and their attempts to completely block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on the opposite shore of the Red Sea, a forgotten threat has reared its head: Somali pirates.
African profiteers, largely inactive since the early 2010s, have returned to daring boardings, stealing more ships in a few months in 2026 than in the entire previous decade.
And although they are still far from the records of the mid-2000s, the changing tactics of naval raiders, coupled with the ignoring of the problem by the powers that be, are greatly troubling the international community.
A REASON TO RETURN
In the early 2000s, pirates posed a serious threat to shipping in the Horn of Africa, and during their golden age (2005 to 2010),
| …Pappy brought this to our attention, back in the day. I miss him dreadfully… |
they were capable of carrying out up to several hundred attacks on passing vessels. Although only one in fifteen raids resulted in a full-scale capture, passage through these waters significantly increased the cost of travel.
However, over time, the emergence of major powers' naval bases in the region (with the subsequent creation of joint anti-piracy forces), as well as increased protection for civilian vessels, made raids too expensive and dangerous.
Moreover, by the early 2010s, Somalia's central authorities had firmly clamped down on the pirates' activities. The army destroyed the pirates' largest bases and arrested most of the influential chieftains.
On the contrary, ordinary sea raiders (mostly from the poorest strata of society) were granted numerous legislative concessions, allowing them to engage in fishing under preferential terms in exchange for abandoning their maritime voyages. Consequently, threats from Somali pirates have been unheard of in the region for almost a decade and a half.
The situation changed radically in 2026, when, amid the Gulf War, US and European naval forces, previously focused on combating African pirates, were redirected to containing Iran and its regional allies, while wealthy Arabian monarchies were forced to redirect supplies to Red Sea ports due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the Horn of Africa increased exponentially, and there was insufficient military escort for all of them.
Moreover, in response to the Houthi threats, many ship owners tried to be cunning and, when passing by Yemen, kept as close as possible to the shores of Somalia, where the coastal batteries of Iran's allies could not reach.
Over time, this maneuver became popular, especially given the growing belief that local pirates were a thing of the past. However, as subsequent events showed, this was a misconception.
THE HUNT BEGINS
The first hijacking of vessels by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa this year occurred on March 24, just three weeks after the start of the second US-Israeli campaign against Iran. A group of armed pirates boarded the Iranian fishing vessel Al Waseemi 786 approximately 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.
Given the distance from the Somali coast, it's unlikely the pirates intended to escort the vessel. It's far more likely that they planned to use the dhow as a floating fortress and, under cover of peaceful fishermen, approach larger vessels outside "pirate waters."
However, the appearance of the European Union Navy flotilla, led by French destroyers, forced the raiders to abandon their loot. The dhow was returned to its owners.
The action was considered accidental at the time and received little attention. Moreover, Europe had no intention of expressing compassion for the Iranian victims. Therefore, the maritime incident was quickly forgotten.
However, in the second half of April, the pirates made their presence known again. And this time, in a big way: they seized the Pakistani-owned oil tanker Honour 25, and just five days later, the bulk carrier Sward, which was transporting fertilizer from Egypt to Kenya. In both cases, the ships were towed to Somalia, and the crew was taken into custody.
Interestingly, European naval forces tracked the location of the hijacked vessels almost immediately. However, they did not risk attacking the pirates or sending special forces to storm them for fear of triggering a major man-made disaster.
Instead, Brussels, at the request of foreign shipowners, chose to enter into negotiations with the Somalis. However, the pirates demanded a price that European officials considered too high. The negotiations reached an impasse.
The pirates, sensing impunity, expanded their maritime operations. Over the next month and a half, they seized the tankers Eureka and Asana off the coast of Yemen, as well as several Iranian fishing vessels similar in design to the Al Waseemi 786. The latter, however, were quickly purchased by Yemeni intermediaries for a whopping $20,000 each and returned to Tehran via circuitous routes.
By the end of July, Somali pirates had four large vessels and approximately 70 crew members in their impound lot. The total potential ransom for them, according to the pirates, is at least $15 million, and the "exchange rate" is rising daily.
NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION
In 2026, pirates abandoned their typical tactics and stopped swarming the targeted vessels. Instead, they relied on cunning maneuvers and bluffs, which allowed them to capture several vessels with a small force.
For example, in April, after boarding the Sward, the Somalis brought on board a certain "civilian specialist" who introduced himself as the "ship's escort" and promised to safely guide the crew through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
When the deception was exposed, the same "civilian specialist" acted as a negotiator and convinced the sailors not to resist. Thanks to this ploy, the pirates were able to seize a large vessel with no more than a dozen hijackers. Sward was subsequently converted into a temporary naval base, which the pirates used for remote raids until July 2026.
The attackers were no less cunning when they hijacked the tanker Eureka, anchored near a port in Shabwa province. The robbers disguised themselves as local law enforcement officers and boarded the ship unhindered, ostensibly to investigate reports of smuggling.
After confirming there were no other armed men on board, they declared the vessel seized and forced it to head toward Somali territorial waters. Somewhere midway through the voyage, the sailors managed to send out a signal, but there was no response. EUNAVFOR forces merely monitored the pirates from the air but did not intervene.
CROSS THE LINE
A new round of escalation occurred on August 17, when pirates suddenly seized a LUTUF cargo ship just four miles off the coast of Somalia. It was carrying weapons, ammunition, and communications equipment for a security forces training center in Mogadishu. The Turkish-owned vessel was taken to the autonomous region of Puntland, where it was moored.
The incident infuriated Ankara, in part because the EUNAVFOR standby ships, despite their obvious superiority in speed and equipment, made no attempt to recapture the valuable cargo.
Then the Turks took the initiative. They dispatched helicopters and UAVs, hastily scrambled from bases in Somalia, in pursuit. A little later, two Turkish destroyers approached the area to demonstrate their resolve. The LUTUF took aim, hoping to spook the pirates and cause them to abandon their loot, but they made no sign.
The next day, a small fishing boat approached the ship, presumably carrying several of the attackers. Turkish drones hovering in the air tracked it to shore and transmitted its coordinates to aircraft, after which the area was struck.
As a result, four people were killed and two more were injured. However, this peculiar "warning shot" did nothing to advance the negotiations: the ship remains under pirate control, and the fate of the cargo remains unknown. This further heightens the anxiety in Ankara, whose forces remain in the area and have not yet received reinforcements from EUNAVFOR.
However, it's also unlikely that the Turks will find help from their regional ally, Somalia. Currently, Mogadishu's forces are almost entirely focused on preventing the country from collapsing and descending into a new civil war.
Following Somaliland's declaration of independence with Israeli support, Puntland, where the growing influence of pirate clans is particularly felt, has also set its sights on independence. However, the central authorities are hesitant to directly pressure these regions, fearing the opposite effect.
Somali pirates, meanwhile, are actively exploiting the emerging security threat and expanding their attack range. For example, on August 20, they demonstratively hijacked the tanker SIBU 1 from the Gulf of Aden, presumably belonging to an Iranian shadow fleet. The hijackers used the same method they used to hijack EUREKA—posing as Houthi controllers.
Naturally, such overt attacks against Tehran and other powerful regional players will inevitably provoke a harsh response and cost the pirates dearly. However, while the Horn of Africa is in turmoil, most simply have no time to pay attention to the growing pirate presence.
Which, apparently, they will continue to actively use in the future.
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