Attackers firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades boarded a ship off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, British officials said, likely the latest attack by resurgent Somali pirates operating in the area.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center issued an alert over the attack, warning ships in the area, The Associated Press said.
The private security firm Ambrey also reported that an attack was underway, saying it targeted a Malta-flagged tanker heading from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa. Ambrey added that it appeared to be an assault by Somali pirates, who have been reported as operating in the area in recent days and who reportedly seized an Iranian fishing boat to use as a base of operations.
Iran has not acknowledged the fishing boat's seizure.
Piracy off the Somali coast peaked in 2011, when 237 attacks were reported. Somali piracy in the region at the time cost the world’s economy some $7 billion, with $160 million paid out in ransoms, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group.
The threat was diminished by increased international naval patrols, a strengthening central government in Somalia, and other efforts.
However, Somali pirate attacks have resumed at a greater pace over the last year, in part due to the insecurity caused by Yemen’s Houthi launching attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
In 2024, there were seven reported incidents off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. So far this year, multiple fishing boats have been seized by Somali pirates.
