Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with 17 crew that was sailing near the Somali coast, according to multiple security officials who spoke to the BBC. 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. Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the beginning of the Somali Civil War in the early 1990s. [1] 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. 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. Over a decade after fading from public consciousness, Somali piracy is making a comeback. Once the scourge of the maritime community, Somali mariners are responsible for at least 17 piracy-related incidents in either Somali waters or the Gulf of Aden between January-May of this year. Somali pirates – Montage by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky/US Navy/Wiki Commons Piracy is back in force. Maritime commerce has become increasingly more dangerous lately, with attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea, the Red Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz, among others. Now, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa have returned to the list, as. 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 hijack a Malta-flagged. Overstretched naval deployments and a focus on Red Sea security have left parts of the Western Indian Ocean vulnerable. Somali pirate activity in early November 2025 represents the most serious cluster of incidents in the Western Indian Ocean since the mid-2024 downturn.