In late April 2026, Somali pirates hijacked the oil tanker Honour 25 off the coast of Somalia. The cargo ship Sword and the tanker Eureka were also seized by pirates off the coast of Yemen. The pirates reportedly bypassed other merchant vessels to specifically target the oil tanker, suggesting selectivity in choosing high-value ships.

According to Daniel Mueller, a senior analyst at Ambrey, “The hijacked vessels are highly likely hijacked by Somali individuals.” He added that “All three are within two miles of the Somali coastline right now, stationary. That is consistent with what Somali pirate action groups would have done in the past when they were conducting ransom negotiations.”

John Walker, a former British Royal Navy officer now with EOS risk management group, reported that there have been up to a dozen pirate attacks in 2026. He noted the contrast with earlier years, saying, “In 2011, there were 237 attacks. At the peak in that year, there were over 30 vessels held hostage in Somalia.” Walker also said, “These are the kind of things that included rigging razor wire on the upper deck of the ship, changes of speed and course. And over time, that combination of making commercial vessels harder to board and hijack.”

Saleem Khan of Pole Star Global pointed to reduced naval presence as a key factor enabling the current spike. “The U.S. Navy and other navies are tied up with the Iran conflict. And so the warships are no longer around. And so there's no one to enforce Somali pirates and make sure that they get detained and put away,” he said. Khan also stated, “It was a joint effort between the EU, NATO, U.S. Navy that was responsible for enforcing this.” He reported that only a few ships from the EU are currently patrolling the waters off Somalia.

Previously, a multinational naval coalition involving the EU, NATO, and the U.S. Navy patrolled the region to suppress piracy. Many anti-piracy practices, including secure crew safe rooms, private security guards, and naval escorts, were discontinued after the earlier crisis subsided due to cost considerations.