Somali pirates are back: why hijackings are rising while global piracy hits a 34-year low
Somali pirates carried out eight hijackings in the first nine months of 2026, even as worldwide piracy fell to its lowest level since 1992.
The essentials: Piracy is back off the coast of Somalia. Between January and September 2026, Somali pirates hijacked eight ships and accounted for 94% of all seafarers taken hostage worldwide, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). Yet piracy overall fell to its lowest level since 1992. Analysts point to naval forces stretched by the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz and to ships rerouted near the Horn of Africa.
What do the latest figures show?
The IMB, part of the International Chamber of Commerce, published its report on the first nine months of 2026 on October 15. It recorded 51 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships worldwide, down from 116 in the same period of 2025. That is the lowest count for those nine months since 1992.
The attacks have become more violent, though. The number of crew members caught up in incidents rose from 72 to 105. According to The Maritime Executive, 90 of them were taken hostage, six were injured and five were killed.
| Region | January to September 2025 | January to September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| World, all incidents | 116 | 51 |
| Singapore Strait | 73 | 13 |
| Indonesian waters | 9 | 6 |
| Philippines (ships boarded at anchor) | 0 | 9 |
| Gulf of Guinea | not given | 2 |
| Somalia: ships hijacked | not given | 8 |
Source: IMB, as reported by the International Chamber of Commerce and AdriaPorts.
The Horn of Africa is now the most dangerous area for merchant shipping, The Maritime Executive concludes. It counts 15 ships attacked by Somali pirates so far this year.
What happened to the tanker Honour 25?
The Honour 25, a tanker flying the flag of Palau, is the most serious case of the year. Pirates seized it on April 21, 2026, with 17 crew on board and about 18,500 barrels of oil products, according to AdriaPorts. Authorities in Puntland, a region in northeastern Somalia, reported that five crew members were killed and five injured before the ship was released, the IMB says. AdriaPorts reports that Puntland forces took back control of the ship in late September and arrested 16 suspected pirates.
At the end of April, pirates also seized two ships within a few hours of each other off Somalia’s central coast and took both into Somali waters, gCaptain reported.
Why are Somali pirates active again?
Several factors overlap. Attacks started rising again in late 2023, at the same time as the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, gCaptain notes. By spring 2026, the Joint Maritime Information Center, which advises ships in the region, was warning of “multiple indications of a credible piracy threat in the region”.
The conflict between the United States and Iran raised the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz to “critical”. That pulled warships into the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. According to gCaptain, this may be leaving gaps in the western Indian Ocean just as pirate groups are getting more active. Disruption in the Red Sea is also pushing traffic onto alternative routes near the Horn of Africa, where these groups operate.
Pirates are also going further out to sea. Some approaches were reported hundreds of nautical miles off the coast, which analysts see as a sign that “motherships” are being used again. These are larger boats that carry the small attack skiffs.
Is it as bad as 15 years ago?
No. The IMB says this year’s attacks are “not comparable in scale or reach” to the deep-sea piracy of 2008 to 2013.
IMB Director Michael Howlett nevertheless warns against letting guard down: “While incident levels are at their lowest in more than three decades, the recent uptick in Somali piracy activity is a reminder that the threats remain,” he said, as quoted by The Maritime Executive.
What are shipowners told to do?
The IMB advises ships to follow the industry’s Best Management Practices (BMP) to the letter. It calls them “one of the most effective ways to deter hijacking attempts”. It also asks crews to report every incident to its Piracy Reporting Centre, including attempted attacks and suspicious approaches, so that the authorities can send ships and aircraft where they are needed.
This article was prepared with the help of AI tools from the sources listed above, then reviewed by our editors before publication. Read our editorial policy
