Mogadishu, Somalia. Global shipping is facing a renewed security threat off Somalia as piracy re-emerges while vessels are diverted away from the Red Sea and commercial traffic remains limited near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Deutsche Welle.
Rerouting adds time and shifts risk toward Somalia
The resurgence follows two difficult months for the industry, with renewed fears over attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and escalating tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran adding pressure to key maritime routes.
Even before the latest crisis, around half of vessels travelling from Asia and the Gulf to Europe were already avoiding the Red Sea and the Suez Canal due to earlier attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Major shipping companies have been taking the longer route around southern Africa, avoiding the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The diversion adds two to three weeks to voyages and thousands of nautical miles, bringing ships closer to Somalia’s coastline, where Somali pirate hijackings peaked in 2011.
Three vessels reported hijacked in recent weeks
Deutsche Welle reported that three ships were hijacked off Somalia and nearby Yemen in recent weeks.
As of May 8, 2026, the Honour 25 and Eureka oil tankers, as well as the cargo ship Sward, remained under pirate control.
Experts cite organised crime and stretched patrols
Experts said organised crime groups in Somalia are exploiting wider regional turmoil as international naval patrols are stretched by developments around Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Tim Walker, a senior researcher for transnational threats and organised crime at South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies, told Deutsche Welle that pirates see fewer deterrents along Somalia’s 3,300-kilometre coastline, the longest in continental Africa.
“Some groups, organized by piracy kingpins, are now looking to seize vessels and hold them for ransom, along with the crew on board, sometimes demanding a high ransom for their safe return,” Walker said.
Naval missions continue in the western Indian Ocean
The European Union’s Operation Atalanta, tasked with protecting shipping off Somalia, continues to operate in the western Indian Ocean alongside the multinational Combined Task Force 151.
How might the renewed piracy risk affect shipping routes and costs for goods you rely on?
