Somali Piracy Surges Amid Hormuz Blockade

Somali Piracy Surges Amid Hormuz Blockade

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced hundreds of commercial ships onto longer routes around Africa, and Somali pirates are moving quickly to exploit the sudden increase in traffic off the continent’s eastern coast. Oil tankers MT Honour 25, MT Eureka and MT Asana were hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off Puntland between April and July 2026, the largest attacks by Somali pirates in years. The Iran war has now delivered these …

Hormuz Closure Fuels Somali Piracy Surge, Three Tankers Seized

The Africa reroute was supposed to be the safe path. It isn't anymore.Key takeawaysOil tankers MT Honour 25, MT Eureka, and MV Sward were hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off Puntland between April and May 2026, the highest volume of Somali piracy seizures in years.The Hormuz closure rerouted hundreds of vessels through East African waters while diverting U.S. and EU naval assets to the Persian Gulf, handing organized pirate networks an open cor…

As-Pac rivals China and Japan continue chasing Somali pirates

Tokyo has deployed a Kawasaki P-1 patrol aircraft belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) to Djibouti to participate in an anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia. Japan’s military base in Djibouti is the first and, so far, the only overseas military facility operated by the Japan Self-Defense Force. The base opened in […] The post As-Pac rivals China and Japan continue chasing Somali pirates appeared first on Asian Mil…