Beyond Hormuz: Piracy Surge Off Somalia Adds New Risk To Global Shipping

Last Updated:April 27, 2026, 16:05 IST

Pirates hijack multiple vessels off Somalia as UKMTO raises threat to substantial, while a US Iran dual blockade at Strait of Hormuz halts trade and strands ships and seafarers.

As global shipping continues to suffer due to the ongoing war between US-Israel and Iran, the maritime authorities have warned of a rise in threat of piracy as two cargo vessels have been hijacked.

Since last week, four vessels – were targeted allegedly by pirates last week including a fishing vessel and oil tanker. On Sunday, another vessel was hijacked six nautical miles off the coast of Garacad, Somalia.

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The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also issued a warning over a separate hijacking off the coast of Mareeyo, northern Somalia which occurred on April 21. According to BBC, the pirates also hijacked Honour 25 with 17 crew – 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one from Myanmar – that was sailing near the Somali coast on April 22. It was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil destined for the Somali capital Mogadishu.

According to BBC, the UKMTO has raised the threat level to “substantial" as it reported “unauthorised persons" seized the vessel and re-directed it to Somalia’s territorial waters on Sunday.

“Due to the increased threat of possible PAG (Pirate Action Group) activity, vessels are advised to transit with caution," the UKMTO said in a statement while pointing out that the weather is conducive to small boat operations.

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump’s imposition of a US naval blockade on Iran-linked ships has combined with Iran’s retaliatory closure of Strait of Hormuz to create what experts call a “dual blockade".

Daily commercial transits have dropped from a peacetime average of 135 to nearly zero. Approximately 20,000 seafarers and hundreds of ships are currently stranded within the Persian Gulf.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced policymakers in Asia to face questions over the security of other maritime chokepoints, including the Strait of Malacca, which is the world’s busiest waterway for international trade.

The 900-km (550-mile) long Malacca Strait, bounded by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, provides the shortest sea route from East Asia to the Middle East and Europe, Reuters reported. This Strait carries nearly 22% of the world’s maritime trade, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This includes oil and gas shipments from the Middle East to the energy-hungry economies of China, Japan and South Korea.

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