Pirate attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden are on the rise

The Gulf of Aden and other waters around the Horn of Africa are seeing an increase in maritime attacks. Since late April, Somali pirates have been attacking and seizing vessels at a rate not seen since 2011, when piracy in the region was at its peak. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, which offers a monitoring and alert service for commercial shipping, issued four warnings in the Somali Basin in April and eight in the Gulf of Aden in May and June. Both areas are in Somali pirate areas of activity.

Many of these attacks have occurred off the Yemeni coast controlled by the country’s anti-Houthi government and have used tactics consistent with piracy, such as skiffs approaching and firing on commercial vessels. In contrast, Houthi attacks largely occur in the Red Sea, and the Iran-backed terror group otherwise uses longer-range systems, such as drones and missiles, to target ships in the Gulf of Aden.

The UKMTO’s latest Joint Maritime Information Center advisory note reported that Somali pirates are holding three vessels taken on April 21, 26, and May 2. Thus far in June, UKMTO has documented four attacks in the region.

Read more at Foundation for Defense of Democracies