Piracy attacks off Somalia surge in 2026: AFP analysis of IMO data

Piracy off the Horn of Africa has reached its highest levels since 2013, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

At least 15 attacks were reported since the start of the year, according to reports from the IMO's Global Integrated Shipping Information System analysed by AFP.

The reports cover incidents since 1994 in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean within 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of Somalia.

The region had recorded no more than a handful of pirate attacks a year since 2013, and five in 2025.

But attacks have multiplied in 2026, particularly in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen, which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Eight attacks have occurred in the area since May.

The region -- which hosts some of the world's busiest shipping routes -- has seen traffic heavily disrupted since the war between Iran, the United States and Israel began on February 28, affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The largest attack of 2026 was carried out on April 21 by around 30 pirates armed with assault rifles and grenade launchers.

They targeted the Honour 25, an oil tanker sailing north of Eyl, a former fishing town in Puntland that has become a major hub of Somali piracy.

The pirates took the 17 crew members hostage and still control the 90-metre (295-foot) vessel.

This year's figures, however, remain far below those recorded in 2011, when piracy in the region peaked.

That year, as in the previous two, the IMO recorded around 200 attacks on ships.