• JMIC raises piracy threat level to ‘severe’ in Somali Basin 
• At least 5 vessels affected thus far

The growing insecurity and turmoil around the maritime chokepoint that is the Strait of Hormuz, following the Israel/US attacks on Iran, has once again led to the rise of piracy in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and the coast of Somalia, with multiple vessels boarded and hijacked over the last few weeks. The recent resurgence of piracy has led the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) to raise its threat level for piracy off the Somali coast and in the Somali Basin to ‘severe,’ the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported. Acts of piracy off the Somali coast had been contained following a consolidated multinational naval effort, which lasted over a decade, with occasional ventures made by a few groups in the recent past.

However, during the last few weeks of April and early May, a surge of attacks off northern Somalia’s Puntland coastline, including three hijackings in a week, shows that isolated incidents have evolved into coordinated operations by active pirate groups. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed off or restricted, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of the Red Sea has become one of the most critical chokepoints in the global economy. This is compounded by key oil producers like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia switching oil loading facilities to ports in the Red Sea, which now attracts high-value targets like tankers, which the pirates hijack for ransom.

Several vessels, including a fuel tanker, have been hijacked, while a large Arabian fishing dhow, which was boarded, is reported to have been used as a ‘mothership’ to replenish pirate skiffs off the Puntland coastline to extend their hunting range.

In September 2024, Sri Lankan fishing vessel Lorenzo Putha IV (Reg. No. IMUL-A-2590-CHW) with six crew onboard, was boarded by Somali pirates, and led to a multinational rescue operation, coordinated by the Sri Lanka Navy, Indian Navy, Combined Maritime Forces – Task Force in Bahrain, and Seychelles Coast Guard. Seychelles special forces boarded the hijacked vessels and liberated the Sri Lankan crew, while arresting several pirates.

When contacted by The Sunday Morning, the Ministry of Fisheries said that it was yet to receive any warning about pirate activity in the WIO by defence or law enforcement authorities and, as such, had not issued a warning to the Sri Lankan fishing fleet (as of Friday) about the risk.