Capitals, May. 16 (SANA) — Escalating tensions in the Middle East are reshaping global shipping routes and reviving a persistent maritime threat: Somali piracy.
As security concerns in the Strait of Hormuz prompt major shipping companies to reroute vessels around the African continent, pirate networks operating off the Somali coast are seizing new opportunities to regroup after years of relative decline, according to maritime security analysts.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20% of global oil, gas, and raw material exports pass, has seen significant disruptions amid the U.S.-Israeli-Iranian conflict. Commercial vessels opting for the longer Cape of Good Hope route now sail closer to Somalia’s unstable coastline, exposing them to heightened risk.
Kidnappings on the rise
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that Somali pirates are currently holding at least three vessels, including two oil tankers and a cargo ship, seized in recent weeks near Somali and Yemeni waters.
The agency warned that the threat level remains elevated in the Somali Basin, urging shipping companies to exercise heightened caution as commercial traffic increases in the region.
Somalia witnessed the peak of modern maritime piracy in the early 2000s, capitalizing on the absence of a strong central government since the early 1990s. Ship hijackings and ransom demands became a lucrative enterprise, costing the global economy billions of dollars.
Shifting naval priorities create security gaps
Analysts say military developments in the Middle East have directly contributed to piracy’s resurgence, as international naval forces have redistributed assets to protect shipping lanes in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, reducing security pressure on the western Indian Ocean.
“The war in the Middle East has created a security vacuum in African waters, as several countries have redirected their naval forces toward the Arabian Gulf,” Mano Leconze, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Aberdeen, told CNN.
He added that the redeployment of international naval assets has opened “new opportunities” for pirate networks to revive their operations.
Warnings of emerging alliances
For his part, Somali MP Mohamed Dini linked the uptick in piracy to a combination of geopolitical crises and Somalia’s internal fragility, noting that current Middle East tensions have emboldened these groups to reorganize.
Dini warned of indications suggesting coordination or potential alliances between certain pirate networks and Yemen’s Houthi group, amid escalating maritime attacks in the Red Sea.
The European Union Naval Force (Operation Atalanta) also reported that three pirate groups are currently active in northern Somalia, comprising both maritime operatives and land-based elements providing logistical and operational support.
International concern, ongoing counter-piracy efforts
Despite rising threats, European naval forces affirmed that anti-piracy operations continue in coordination with international partners and Somali authorities, stressing that current developments have not halted their regional missions.
International reports warn that prolonged conflict in the Middle East and regional instability could grant pirates greater operational space, endangering global trade and energy routes and reviving one of the most serious maritime crises the world has faced in the past two decades.
IZ/MZ