The surge raises doubts about the impact of Somalia’s 2023 defense deal with Türkiye, to secure its waters.
by Blue Africa News
Safety concerns have resurfaced in one of the world’s most strategic shipping routes, after Somali pirates last week hijacked a Malta-flagged products tanker off the Horn of Africa coast.
The vessel designed to transport petroleum products and managed by Greece-based Alotsko Marine Management, was transporting gasoline from India to South Africa when it was attacked.
Reuters reported that the Hellas Aphrodite vessel crew took refuge in a fortified safe room and remained in control.
The attack, maritime analysts say, reflects a worrying resurgence of piracy in Somali waters, especially along the northeastern coast and near Mogadishu, with the rise being attributed to a reduction in international naval patrols.
“The return of piracy is due to the decline of patrols by some of the international forces like European Union naval forces which are based in Somalia’s territorial waters, and also of course the Chinese navy which was also based here,” said Mohamed Kahiye, a Mogadishu based security analyst.
Subsequently, fishermen at Mogadishu’s Aruba Beach expressed concern that increased cases of piracy could jeopardize their livelihoods, and tarnish their reputation courtesy of being “branded pirates.”
“People may mistake us for pirates, which makes it dangerous for us to fish,” said Abdi Osman, one of the fishermen.
Another reason for the escalation, according to a report by the policy center for the new south, is an emerging network of allies between Al-Shabaab, the Houthis, and Somali pirates.
Between 7 February and 16 March 2025, the report says, two fishing vessels and a dhow were hijacked off the coast of Somalia, with Somali piracy reportedly costing the shipping industry and governments almost USD$7 billion at its peak in 2011.
Abdi Guled, Horn of Africa analyst and journalist, points to an “axis of resistance” between Al-Shabaab, the Houthis and Somali pirates fueling piracy on Somali waters.
“What once was a sea dividing two wars has become a corridor uniting them, a new map of asymmetric warfare that now stretches from the Gulf of Aden to the Indian Ocean, redrawn by militants who understand that in modern conflict, geography is no longer a boundary, but a weapon,” he said in a recent opinion piece.
He warned that if not contained, the fusion of piracy, drone warfare, and smuggling marks a dangerous new stage, “one where maritime insecurity, airspace disruption, and regional geopolitics converge.”
Experts now warn that the surge raises doubts about the impact of Somalia’s 2023 defense deal with Türkiye, to secure its waters.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News