A maritime theft monitoring group said Somali coastal piracy has risen after two
new attacks this week. The incidents come as two major regional conflicts are
diverting and depleting naval resources: Houthi forces last month announced a
blockade on Saudi ports and have attacked several vessels, forcing many ships to
avoid the area, while fighting linked to Iran has produced attacks on dozens of
merchant ships in the Persian Gulf and nearby waters. Two vessels were reported
hit by Somali pirates, reinforcing concerns about an uptick in Somali incidents
this year. An International Maritime Bureau official, Cyrus Modi, said naval
deployments remain but higher-priority threats have likely created an opening
for Somali pirates, who had been effectively suppressed over the past decade;
Somali piracy peaked in 2008–2010 when hundreds of ships were attacked and some
owners rerouted around Africa.
