The security gap has hardened into a vacuum, one that armed groups are filling with methodical efficiency.
Off the coast of Yemen in the early hours of a Friday morning, armed men boarded the MT Eureka and turned it toward Somali waters — the fourth successful hijacking in a fortnight, and a signal that the long arc of maritime security in the Gulf of Aden is bending once again toward disorder. What took years of international effort to suppress has found new life in the shadow of competing crises, as naval attention drawn toward Houthi aggression left Somalia's vast coastline unwatched and, for those willing to exploit it, open. The sea, indifferent to the politics that govern it, has become a theater of opportunity once more.
- Armed pirates seized the MT Eureka at 5 a.m. in the Gulf of Aden, overpowering its crew and steering the Togolese-flagged oil tanker toward Somali territorial waters.
- This is the fourth successful hijacking in two weeks — a pace that has not been seen since piracy was considered largely defeated over a decade ago.
- The resurgence traces directly to late 2023, when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping pulled international naval forces away, leaving Somalia's 3,300-kilometer coastline dangerously exposed.
- Incidents are no longer clustered in one zone — separate launch points, separate targets, and widening geographic spread suggest organized expansion rather than opportunistic crime.
- A Puntland security official warned the BBC that armed group movements along the coast are far more extensive than public awareness reflects.
- Neither Somali authorities nor EUNAVFOR have responded publicly to the latest hijacking, and the silence itself is becoming part of the story.
In the pre-dawn darkness of a Friday morning, armed gunmen boarded the MT Eureka as it moved through the Gulf of Aden near the Yemeni port of Qana. By 5 a.m. local time, the crew was overpowered and the Togolese-flagged oil tanker was redirected toward Somali waters, where it was expected to anchor within hours. Security officials from Puntland confirmed the hijacking to the BBC, identifying the attackers as originating from a remote settlement near Qandala, a fishing town on the gulf's edge.
The seizure is the second major tanker hijacking in ten days. On April 22, pirates took the Honor 25 — carrying nearly 18,500 barrels of crude bound for Mogadishu. Taken together with two other incidents, this marks four successful hijackings in a two-week span, a frequency that has alarmed maritime analysts and reversed what had seemed like a durable decade-long decline in Somali piracy.
The roots of the resurgence lie in a strategic distraction. When Houthi rebels began targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023, international naval forces pivoted to address that threat — leaving Somalia's coastline, the longest on mainland Africa, thinly patrolled. Armed groups operating from isolated coastal settlements recognized the opening and moved into it.
The geographic spread of recent incidents reinforces how broad that opening has become. A separate incident reported the same Friday involved armed men in a skiff approaching a bulk carrier near Al-Mukala, Yemen — launched from Caluula, roughly 130 kilometers from the MT Eureka's attackers. Different launch points, different targets: piracy is no longer concentrated but expanding across the full length of Somalia's shore.
A Puntland official, speaking anonymously, told the BBC the situation is considerably worse than public perception suggests, citing increasing armed group movements all along the coast. As of the latest reports, neither Somali authorities nor EUNAVFOR had issued any public statement on the MT Eureka — a silence that, given the accelerating pace of incidents, is itself a measure of how far the response has fallen behind the threat.
An oil tanker flying a Togolese flag was seized by armed gunmen in the Gulf of Aden early Friday morning, its crew overpowered at 5 a.m. local time as the vessel moved through waters between Yemen and Somalia. The MT Eureka, intercepted near the port of Qana, is now under the control of Somali pirates and heading toward Somali territorial waters, where it is expected to anchor within hours. Multiple security officials from the Puntland region confirmed the hijacking to the BBC, tracing the attackers to a remote coastal settlement near Qandala, a fishing town on the gulf's edge.
This seizure marks the second major tanker hijacking in just ten days. On April 22, Somali pirates took control of the Honor 25, which was carrying 18,500 barrels of crude bound for Mogadishu. The pattern suggests something more troubling than isolated incidents: this is the fourth successful hijacking in a two-week window, a surge that has caught the attention of maritime authorities and security analysts watching the region's deteriorating conditions.
The resurgence of piracy along Somalia's coast—the longest on mainland Africa at over 3,300 kilometers—represents a dramatic reversal of a decade-long decline. Since 2011, hijackings had become rare enough that the threat seemed largely contained. But late 2023 marked a turning point. When Houthi rebels began launching coordinated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, international naval forces redirected their resources to counter that threat. The shift left Somalia's vast, sparsely patrolled coastline vulnerable. Armed groups operating from isolated settlements seized the opportunity, and the window has only widened since.
In a separate incident reported Friday, the UK Maritime Transportation Operation documented armed men in a small skiff approaching a bulk carrier near Al-Mukala, Yemen. Those attackers launched from Caluula, a fishing town roughly 130 kilometers from where the MT Eureka's hijackers departed. The geographic spread of these incidents—different launch points, different targets, different timing—underscores how piracy is no longer concentrated in a single area but is expanding across Somalia's entire coastline.
A security official from Puntland, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation as far graver than public perception suggests. "The on-going crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realize," the official told the BBC. "There are increasing movements of armed groups all over the coast." That assessment carries weight: Puntland sits at the epicenter of the piracy resurgence, and its officials have direct visibility into the movements and capabilities of the groups operating from its shores.
So far, neither Somali authorities nor the European Union Naval Force—the multinational task force responsible for anti-piracy operations in these waters—have issued public statements about the MT Eureka hijacking. The silence is notable given the escalating frequency of incidents. What began as a security gap created by competing threats has hardened into something resembling a vacuum, one that armed groups are filling with methodical efficiency. The question now is whether the international response will shift in kind, or whether piracy will continue its upward trajectory unchecked.
Notable Quotes
The on-going crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realize. There are increasing movements of armed groups all over the coast.— Security official from Puntland region
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a hijacking in May matter more than one in April? Isn't piracy just part of the risk in those waters?
It's the acceleration that matters. One hijacking is an incident. Four in two weeks is a pattern—it signals that the security situation has fundamentally changed, that these groups are operating with confidence and coordination.
But piracy was supposedly solved years ago. What happened?
It wasn't solved, just managed. When Houthi attacks started in late 2023, every major navy shifted focus to the Red Sea. That left Somalia's coast unguarded. The pirates noticed.
So this is a side effect of another conflict?
Exactly. The international response to one threat created space for another. It's a reminder that security is a system—you can't just move resources around without consequences elsewhere.
Are these organized groups or opportunists?
The pattern suggests organization. They're launching from specific locations, timing attacks, coordinating across a 3,300-kilometer coastline. These aren't random acts.
What happens to the ships once they're taken?
They're anchored in Somali waters, used as leverage for ransom negotiations. The crews are held until payment arrives. It's a business model that works because the risk of enforcement is low.