Somali piracy resurges as Middle East conflict forces ships around Africa

A de‑facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has compelled commercial vessels to avoid the narrow passage and instead circumnavigate Africa, routing through the Indian Ocean near Somalia. The shift has created a security vacuum that Somali pirate groups have exploited. According to a UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) notice dated 12 May, pirates have seized at least three ships—a pair of tankers and a cargo vessel—between 21 April and 2 May 2025. The EU Oceanic Security Centre has warned ships to maintain heightened vigilance within 150 nautical miles of the Somali coast.

Piracy off Somalia’s coast, which peaked between 2008 and 2013 with 237 attacks in 2011, had declined after international patrols intensified. Activity began rising again in late 2023 amid the Red Sea and Gulf of Persia crises, and in 2025 the pirates carried out 14 attacks in the Red Sea corridor. Analysts say the redeployment of naval forces to the Middle‑East theatre left the western Indian Ocean less protected, allowing criminal groups to resume high‑profile assaults on international shipping.