In the news
On 17 July, seven armed Somali pirates hijacked a Tanzanian-flagged chemical and oil products tanker, MT ASANA, roughly 75 miles off the coast of Mukalla, Yemen. This marks the second such hijacking of a tanker since May.
On the same day, maritime security group Ambrey revealed that the ship lacked an on-board private armed security team and identified the perpetrators as an active "pirate action group".
Also on the same day, risk management group Vanguard said that while the hijacking was in progress, specific details regarding the total number of attackers and crew status remained unconfirmed.
There were no statements from the owner of the tanker or the Somali government.
Issues at large
1. Political instability and Somali coast’s persisting problem
Piracy along the Somali coast came out of the collapse of the Somali government in the early 1990s, when small, disorganised militias formed by local fishermen began combating illegal foreign fishing and toxic dumping. From here, it grew into a lucrative hijacking enterprise, creating a major global threat, primarily between 2005 and 2012. During this period, pirate groups carried out over 1,000 attacks, which cost the global economy USD 18 billion annually. This era was marked by localised and rudimentary tactics, with groups relying on small arms and basic skiffs to launch their attacks.
Political instability has historically fueled piracy off Somalia’s coast. Since the fall of the Somali government in the 1990s, federal authorities have faced increasing calls for autonomy from states. The lack of sovereign control, coupled with rising insurgencies from Islamist militant groups, created a vacuum for piracy to flourish. Today, in 2026, the country is going through a constitutional crisis, with the government unilaterally postponing the general elections and ousting regional leaders in South West and Jubaland states. Besides, the spread of Al-Shabaab and Islamic State-affiliated militant groups, has left the government incapable of addressing the piracy issue effectively. Local leaders and communities are pushed to increasingly rely on piracy as a source of unregulated funding for their regional campaigns, a similar trend seen during the 2005-2012 era.
2. From rudimentary to sophisticated tactics
Since 2023, piracy has evolved into a far more sophisticated threat, with groups using GPS and satellite technologies to track commercial ships up to 1,000 kilometres into the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, pirate groups have forged new alliances - with the Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabaab for logistical protection on land, and Yemen’s Houthis for advanced weapons, training and strategic intelligence - turning a once-rudimentary force into a highly sophisticated one.
3. Economic stagnation and aid cuts
Widespread poverty, high cost of living and climate change have pushed Somalia into a multidimensional humanitarian crisis. This is worsened by international aid cuts, with USAID funding falling from USD 467 million in 2024 to just USD 3 million in early 2026. In addition to this, illegal, unregulated fishing drains USD 300 million from the Somali economy annually, leaving civilians in desperation. This situation is also increasingly pushing young people to view piracy as an economic lifeline, with pirate groups locally celebrated as generous employers whose multi-million dollar ransoms fund whole communities. Hence, economic stagnation and aid cuts create a complex environment for piracy to flourish.
4. Regional conflicts as drivers this resurgence in piracy
The ongoing US-Iran war and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have created a vacuum for Somali pirates. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and the high security risk around the Red Sea, nearly 70 per cent of maritime traffic in the region has been rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, pushing a large volume of ships and tankers directly past the Somali basin. Simultaneously, the international naval fleets have reduced their anti-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa to reinforce security in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. The regional instability and lack of reinforcements have allowed pirate groups to mount attacks further into the Indian Ocean.
5. Ineffective regional and international responses
The international community today lacks the political and fiscal willpower to resurrect the major naval security initiatives it undertook in the previous era. For its part, Somalia has signed defence pacts with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to protect its mainland as well as the wider Red Sea corridor, but these commitments remain insufficient to address threats 1,000 kilometres offshore. Shipowners are also compromising on expensive private security teams, leaving vessels exposed. The Somali Basin is inching towards being designated a “high-risk area”, which could drive up costs and worsen the humanitarian situation.
In perspective
With two major incidents in the space of three months, the threat of Somali piracy is no longer theoretical. Somalia is currently in a no-win situation, with domestic political turmoil, violent insurgencies and an accelerating humanitarian crisis leaving the government incapable of addressing piracy on its own. Unless the international community can collaborate again to fight this growing threat, piracy incidents around the Horn of Africa are only expected to rise.
