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Somali piracy rises as Hormuz bottleneck reroutes oil shipping
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, in the largest attacks in years.
Somali piracy is escalating as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz forces hundreds of commercial ships to take longer routes around Africa, according to OilPrice.
The outlet said the Iran-related conflict has expanded the number of maritime targets across thousands of miles of ocean, while drawing naval resources toward the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, leaving more shipping exposed off the Horn of Africa.
OilPrice cited hijackings of oil tankers MT Honour 25, MT Eureka, and MT Asana in the Gulf of Aden and off Puntland between April and July 2026, describing them as the largest attacks by Somali pirates in years.
OilPrice also pointed to a UN panel of experts, saying there is now direct coordination between Yemeni militants and Somali networks, with the Houthis providing support in exchange for maritime chaos that keeps Western navies focused elsewhere.