The war in Iran is fueling a resurgence in maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia, according to a European Union naval force patrolling the region.
There have been at least three confirmed hijackings in the past week alone, with pirates boarding two cargo vessels and a tanker, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The attacks occurred in Eyl, Mareeyo and Garacad in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, which was a pirate haven in the late 2000s.
The increase is due to instability in the region — initially linked to Houthis attacks and now the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta, which has been patrolling Somali waters since 2008, in the absence of a local navy.
“This situation would give the impression that the military focus is diverted from the area, so piracy groups can understand there is a window of opportunity,” EU Navfor said in an emailed response to questions. Illegal fishing activities are contributing to the increasing threat, it said.
The incidents show that “the capability and intent of Somali pirate groups remains real,” threatening one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a division of the International Chamber of Commerce.
“Somali pirates are likely to continue testing the waters to assess whether vessels transiting off the Somali coast remain hardened in accordance with best management practice recommendations and whether they employ private armed security teams,” the IMB said in an emailed response to queries.
Somalia passed legislation last year to combat piracy, but relies on foreign militaries to curb the menace as it lacks the capacity to enforce it.
Somali pirates wreaked havoc along the East African coast for more than a decade, with attacks peaking at 176 in 2011. A 2009 hijacking later inspired the 2013 Oscar-nominated film Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks..
Piracy is now “being contained, rather than eradicated,” according to the EU Navfor’s assessment. “In fact, we are not in the same situation as in the 2010s.”
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