An alliance of Somali pirates and Houthi militias?
The oceans have become increasingly more dangerous, with military conflicts targeting cargo ships in the Black Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, the Strait of Hormuz… and around the Horn of Africa, where there’s an ongoing resurgence of activity by Somali Pirates.
Yesterday (2), an oil tanker was hijacked off the coast of Yemen and diverted toward Somalia’s waters.
The attack was reportedly carried out by armed Somali pirates, but some Yemenis with ties to armed groups – and even to the Houthi militia – were also suspected of participating in the attack.
Somalian pirates have just hijacked a Yemeni oil tanker off the Shabwa coast marking a third vessel in recent times and a possible resurgence of piracy off east Africa.
— WarMonitor
(@WarMonitor3) May 2, 2026
(@WarMonitor3)
Armed men have seized the oil tanker M/T Eureka off Yemen’s coast and are steering it toward Somali waters.
Earlier, a separate vessel reported a suspicious approach by a skiff 84 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla.
Source: Al… https://t.co/ykkdK5x7M9 pic.twitter.com/PlIfITBlhq
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 2, 2026
Somali pirates just seized a UAE-owned tanker!The New York Times reported:
“Since April, at least three vessels have been hijacked by Somali pirates off the country’s coast. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, run by the British Navy, recently raised the threat level around the coast of Somalia to ‘substantial’ and urged ships to proceed with caution.
Yemen’s Coast Guard said that the tanker, the Togo-flagged Eureka, was subjected to an armed robbery by ‘unidentified’ people, who boarded the ship and directed it through Yemen’s Gulf of Aden toward Somalia’s coast. Efforts to monitor and recover the vessel were underway, it said.”
“Somali pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, according to multiple Somali security officials that spoke with the BBC.”
Do they feel that the Strait of Hormuz and Houthis got all the attention?https://t.co/o7KGuAY1oa
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) May 3, 2026
“The Houthi militia and Somali pirates have cultivated an alliance over the years, with the rebels at times providing technology and military backup. Analysts say the war could give the groups more reason to work together, as a dual-blockade has jammed global oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and increased fuel prices, creating an opportunity to profit.”
Houthi seizure of commercial vessel off Somalia suggests possible coordination with Somali pirates — a convergence that would expand Tehran’s maritime disruption capacity beyond the Red Sea. https://t.co/MVZdIHh6Wy
— Matthew Levitt (@Levitt_Matt) May 3, 2026
SOMALI PIRACY RETURNS WITH TWO HIJACKINGS IN A WEEK
The oil tanker Honour 25 was seized on April 22 and is now anchored near the Puntland coast.
A cargo ship called the Sward was hijacked on April 27 with a 15-person crew including Indian and Syrian nationals.
Officials link… pic.twitter.com/Lw1dDJMPCS
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) May 2, 2026
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