The pirates noticed immediately when the navies looked away.
Off the coast of Yemen, where the Gulf of Aden meets the fractured politics of the Horn of Africa, an oil tanker has once again been swallowed by the sea's oldest crime. The MT Eureka, seized before dawn on a Sunday, is the fourth vessel taken by Somali pirates in two weeks — a resurgence born not from nowhere, but from the shadow cast by a larger conflict, as Houthi attacks drew international navies away and left a coastline unguarded. History reminds us that piracy does not invent its own conditions; it inherits them, filling the voids that power leaves behind.
- Armed pirates boarded the MT Eureka at 5 AM near Yemen's port of Qana, seizing the Togolese-flagged oil tanker and steering it toward Somali waters in a swift, coordinated strike.
- The attack is the fourth successful hijacking in two weeks, following the April 22 seizure of the Honor 25 — a pattern that signals organized criminal networks, not opportunistic lone actors.
- Piracy's comeback traces directly to late 2023, when Houthi assaults on Red Sea shipping pulled international naval forces away, leaving Somalia's 3,333-kilometer coastline effectively unpatrolled.
- Armed groups are now operating across a far wider geographic range, with a separate skiff attack reported near Al-Mukala suggesting the threat has expanded well beyond known piracy corridors.
- Neither Somali authorities nor the EU's EUNAVFOR naval task force have publicly responded to the latest hijacking, a silence that speaks to the gap between the scale of the crisis and the capacity to contain it.
An oil tanker flying a Togolese flag was seized by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden early Sunday morning, overrun at 5 AM near the Yemeni port of Qana and now being steered toward Somali waters. Puntland security officials confirmed to the BBC that the operation was launched from a remote stretch of coast near the town of Qandala — the same networks believed responsible for the April 22 hijacking of the Honor 25, which was carrying crude oil bound for Mogadishu. The MT Eureka is the second major tanker taken in ten days, and the fourth successful seizure in two weeks.
The resurgence is rooted in a strategic shift that began in late 2023. When Houthi rebels launched sustained attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the world's major navies redirected their resources toward countering that threat. The consequence was a security vacuum along Somalia's coastline — the longest on mainland Africa at 3,333 kilometers — which armed groups were quick to exploit. "The on-going crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realize," one Puntland official told the BBC, noting increasing armed movement all along the coast.
A separate incident reported Friday described armed men in a skiff approaching a bulk carrier near Al-Mukala, launched from Caluula — roughly 130 kilometers from Qandala — suggesting the pirate networks are now operating across a significantly wider range. Neither Somali authorities nor EUNAVFOR have publicly responded to the latest hijacking, a silence that points to either limited capacity or a dawning recognition that what began as a gap has hardened into something far more difficult to close.
An oil tanker flying a Togolese flag was seized by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden early Sunday morning, according to Somali security officials who confirmed the hijacking to the BBC. The MT Eureka was overrun at 5 a.m. local time near the Yemeni port of Qana and is now being steered toward Somali waters, where it is expected to anchor within hours. The vessel represents the second major tanker seizure in ten days—a stark indicator that piracy, long thought to be a fading threat off the Horn of Africa, is making a comeback with troubling momentum.
Three separate security officials from Puntland, Somalia's semi-autonomous northeastern region, told the BBC that the pirates launched their operation from a remote stretch of coast near the town of Qandala. The timing and coordination of the attack mirror an earlier hijacking on April 22, when the same criminal networks seized the Honor 25, which was carrying 18,500 barrels of crude bound for Mogadishu. That vessel, like the MT Eureka, was taken into Somali territorial waters and held. The pattern suggests these are not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate, organized campaign.
The resurgence is particularly striking given the history. Somali piracy, which had declined sharply since 2011 following years of international naval patrols and military intervention, had largely faded from headlines. But the security landscape shifted dramatically in late 2023 when Houthi rebels began launching sustained attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Those attacks forced the world's major navies—American, European, and others—to redirect their resources toward countering the Iranian-backed militia. The consequence was predictable: with international warships focused on the Houthi threat, the Somali coast became a security vacuum. Armed groups operating from fishing villages and remote anchorages recognized the opportunity and began moving.
In a separate incident reported Friday by the United Kingdom Maritime Transportation Operation, armed men in a small skiff approached a bulk carrier near the Yemeni city of Al-Mukala. Those attackers launched from Caluula, a fishing town roughly 130 kilometers south of Qandala—suggesting the pirate networks are now operating across a much wider geographic range. Somalia's coastline stretches 3,333 kilometers, the longest on mainland Africa, and security officials say armed groups are increasingly active all along it. "The on-going crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realize," one Puntland official told the BBC. "There are increasing movements of armed groups all over the coast."
The MT Eureka hijacking marks the fourth successful pirate seizure in just two weeks. Neither Somali authorities nor EUNAVFOR, the European Union's naval task force responsible for anti-piracy operations in the region, have publicly responded to the latest incident. The silence is notable. It suggests either a lack of capacity to intervene or a recognition that the problem has grown beyond their current operational scope. What began as a security gap created by the Houthi crisis has evolved into something more entrenched: a revival of the maritime predation that once made the Gulf of Aden one of the world's most dangerous shipping lanes.
Citas Notables
The on-going crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realize. There are increasing movements of armed groups all over the coast.— Puntland security official to BBC
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did piracy suddenly return after being dormant for over a decade?
The Houthis changed everything. When they started attacking ships in late 2023, every major navy in the region pivoted to deal with them. That left the Somali coast unguarded—and the pirates noticed immediately.
So the Houthis didn't directly cause the piracy, but they created the conditions for it.
Exactly. The pirates didn't need the Houthis to exist. They just needed the international navies to look the other way. The Houthis provided that gift.
Two hijackings in ten days seems coordinated. Are these the same group?
The timing and geography suggest organization, yes. Both vessels were taken into Somali waters. Both operations launched from the coast. But whether it's one network or several working in parallel, we don't know yet.
What's the actual danger here—is it ransom, or something else?
Ransom is the traditional motive, but the pattern matters more. If piracy becomes normalized again, it destabilizes the entire shipping corridor. Insurance costs rise. Routes change. Trade slows. One hijacking is a crime. Four in two weeks is a trend.
Why haven't Somali authorities or the EU naval force responded?
That's the question no one's answering. Either they lack the resources, or they're overwhelmed, or both. The silence itself is telling.
Could this get as bad as it was in the early 2010s?
The conditions are there. The coast is long, the pirates are organized, and the international attention is elsewhere. Whether it reaches that scale depends on whether anyone can redirect resources back to the problem.