A fourth vessel has been hijacked by Somali pirates, this time off the coast of Yemen. The oil tanker MT Eureka was captured in the Gulf of Aden on May 2 and reportedly taken toward Somalia, marking the latest incident in a renewed wave of Somali piracy, which resurfaced in 2023. Analysts attribute the resurgence to naval resources having turned their attention to Houthi attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, and more recently, to the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Data from the International Maritime Organization shows that since 2000, East Africa has been the global hotspot for successful hijackings, with 161 cases recorded. This figure is largely the result of Somali piracy, which peaked between 2007 and 2012. West Africa ranks second, with 52 hijackings over the same period.
It’s the South China Sea, however, that has recorded the highest overall number of piracy incidents, with more than 2,000 recorded since 2000. These were mostly lower-level attacks, alongside 42 successful hijackings. High shipping traffic and the region’s island chains, which provide ideal hiding spots, have contributed to the high frequency of attacks over the years. Incidents of piracy and armed robbery of ships have declined sharply from 142 in 2013 to just 10 in 2024, partly thanks to increased cooperation between states.
The adjacent Strait of Malacca has followed a different pattern. After peaking in 2015 with 134 reported attacks, incidents fell sharply to just 21 in 2016. Since then, numbers have climbed again, reaching 91 in 2024, marking the highest of any region that year. Most attacks are low-level, night-time thefts, which are largely driven by poverty and economic hardship. According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau, incidents in the Singapore Strait increased in early 2025, including cases involving firearms, before dropping later in the year after Indonesian authorities disrupted two gangs.
Meanwhile, West Africa saw 17 piracy incidents in 2024. While down from the peak years of 2018 to 2020, when the region was the world’s hotspot for piracy incidents with 81, 67 and 90 attacks, respectively, it continues to be among the higher-risk zones for kidnappings. In 2024, 42 people were taken hostage, following 68 in 2023. Over the past two decades, the region has been among the most dangerous in terms of fatalities for seafarers too, accounting for 11 out of the 32 piracy-related deaths reported worldwide since 2000.
Experts warn that the true scale of global piracy is likely higher, especially as many low-level incidents and attempted boardings go unreported.
