Somali pirates are back on the attack, with piracy around the Horn of Africa rising sharply in recent months and adding to concerns for shipping vessels, government forces and private security. Somali pirates are profiting from the war in Iran as commercial ships, bypassing conflict routes through lengthy detours around Africa, sail into their strike zone. As the global economy focuses on the Strait of Hormuz crisis, another shipping crisis looms in the region — the return of Somali pirates. Why is piracy rising off Somalia again — and is the Iran war responsible? At least four vessels have been hijacked in the past week or two, raising fears of a piracy resurgence. This is a List of Somali pirates, sea robbers, corsairs, privateers, Red Sea and ocean pirates and others involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia. This list includes both captains and prominent crew members. Pirates off the coast of Somalia have successfully hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, raising fears of a resurgence in armed attacks. Piracy off the coast of Somalia is back in the headlines after European Union naval forces seized an Iranian fishing vessel last month that Somali pirates used to briefly hijack a Malta-flagged. Here is what to know about the pirates and their impact on maritime commerce and security: Pirates trace their history to civil war in Somalia Through the 1980s, Somalia experienced a brutal civil war that briefly stopped in 1991. Three vessels have been hijacked off the coast of Somalia in the past week, raising fears of a resurgence in piracy around the Horn of Africa, and adding to the woes of the global shipping industry. Piracy near the Somali coast declined after 2011 following international intervention but has resumed in recent years Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with 17 crew that was sailing near the.