Somali Piracy Resurgence: Understanding The Risk To Commercial Shipping

In the Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Somali Basin, piracy has reemerged as a significant threat to commercial shipping. After a lull in piracy from 2012 to 2024, when incidents were limited to zero or a couple per year, piracy has begun to increase since 2024. This rise has accelerated further so far in 2026. The rise in piracy is driven by state weakness and diverted international naval efforts, which have increased pirates’ ability to operate. Moreover, weapons and finance networks that connect Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) logistics with Al-Shabaab, Houthis, and Pirate Action Groups (‘PAGs’) also incentivise piracy.

Pirate activity represents a significant threat to commercial operations, both in Somali territorial waters and offshore. The financial objective of Somali pirates is to hijack vessels and then pressure the relevant stakeholders into providing the group with a ransom payment in exchange for the return of the crew/vessel. As the Houthis also play a major role in this network, they also assist pirate activity, especially in the Gulf of Aden. With the monsoon season recently ending, pirates have favourable weather conditions to use motherships to attack commercial vessels at a significant distance from the coast (up to several hundred nautical miles).

In the late 2000s, piracy emerged as a significant issue in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali basin. At its peak, in 2011, over 230 attacks were recorded, with piracy costing shippers and governments around $7 billion during this period. The resurgence of piracy since 2024 threatens to similarly increase the costs to shippers and governments.

This story was originally published by Hellenic Shipping News. Read the full story at Hellenic Shipping News →