The MV Lutuf was lightly protected when it was boarded on 17 August. Just two security guards were present on the Turkish cargo ship as it sailed off the coast of Somalia, and they were overwhelmed by six gunmen.
The pirates took 10 hostages and demanded a multi-million dollar ransom for their release. But a bloody Turkish-Somali assault last week freed the prisoners and left many of their captors dead.
The incident set off alarms among counter-piracy forces that are facing the largest surge in attacks around the Horn of Africa in more than a decade. It marked the first known case of private security forces being overcome by pirates in the region, and – part of an emerging and concerning trend – the raid was reportedly launched from another hijacked ship.
Mohamed Jama, base commander of the Puntland Maritime Security Force, is tasked with tackling marine crime around the Somali autonomous region where many of the attacks have originated.
“The resurgence of piracy in 2026 is more dangerous,” he told The i Paper. “When you look at the capability, the momentum, and the ability to go to the deep sea.”
Incidents have surged. According to an AFP study of UN data, there were at least 15 attacks on shipping in the region this year compared to five in 2025, and more than any whole year since 2013. The Royal Navy, which recently completed a spell leading a multinational Combined Maritime Forces in the region, reported 25 pirate-related incidents in six months to late August.
The figures include a series of successful hijackings, including two in four days last month. Five vessels and 87 crew members are being held by pirates after the Lutuf was freed, according to the UN, with millions sought in ransoms.
The Somali National Army, in cooperation with the Turkish Navy, rescued the MV Lutuf, a Cameroon-flagged vessel that was hijacked earlier this month, Somalia’s Ministry of Defence said Saturday. The ministry said 14 pirates were killed and four pirate boats were destroyed during… pic.twitter.com/KtbUW7bo7b
— CGTN Africa (@cgtnafrica) August 29, 2026
Experts and officials point to new groups with new methods and new alliances, and a powerful set of drivers for the rise of piracy, including factors linked to the Iran war.
At least three distinct pirate groups are now operating off Somali coasts, according to Castor Vali, a risk management firm focused in Africa. They typically attack through high-speed approaches and gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades, the firm said.
Jama said the Puntland-based groups have connections to “cross regional criminal networks” that stretch as far as Yemen, and they are increasingly hijacking vessels to use as “motherships” – as with the Lutuf – that allow them to launch surprise raids on vessels hundreds of miles offshore.
Analysts point to anti-piracy patrol forces being redirected due to the Iran war. At the height of Somali piracy attacks, EU, Nato, and other multinational forces were deployed to the region and helped to bring piracy incidents down from a peak of 237 in 2011 to just 15 two years later.
But those missions have dwindled in recent years. Tim Walker, who has studied piracy in the region for 15 years at the Institute for Security Studies, said the reduction of naval forces in the region is “very visible”.
The EU’s Operation Atalanta lists just “one to three surface vessels” to cover an area of around three million square miles. The mission commander warned in May that anti-piracy efforts have been weakened by a reduced presence of the 47-nation Combined Maritime Forces, whose base in Bahrain has come under heavy attack by Iran.
The Indian navy, which has played a significant role in suppressing piracy, has also redeployed assets to protect shipping around Hormuz. But the loss of American resources may be most damaging.
“The US has been completely pulled into its conflict with Iran,” said Walker. “The US was the main provider of maritime security, and ships and support to other countries who wanted to patrol the area as well. Now they have been cut off.” The US State Department declined to comment.
Mostafa Elbanna, head of the Somalia branch of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said the reduced security presence was offering encouragement to pirate groups.
“For sure the Iran conflict is a distraction for international naval forces, so the pirates know that the response (to attacks) will be a little bit less compared to what they were facing before, which gives them more motivation,” he said.
Elbanna added that successful hijacking and ransom attempts led to more attacks, as groups were able to use the money to plan further raids. Their success can also inspire other groups. The Somalian government has asked foreign governments and companies not to pay ransoms to avoid encouraging attacks.
The EU Operation Atalanta says it has one to three ships (Photo: Operation Atalanta)
Another by-product of the Iran war is that ships were directed away from the Strait of Hormuz onto other routes, sometimes bringing them closer to Somali waters.
Dr Alessio Patalano, a naval expert at King’s College London, said one factor in increasing piracy is the slow circulation of shipping around the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia, adjacent to the Bab al-Mandab route, which is being used as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
“As a result you have a context that is more favourable to conduct attacks… it’s surprising that it’s taken this long for pirates to take the opportunities presented to them,” he said.
A senior officer of an oil tanker who was trapped in the Persian Gulf for months during the blockade of Hormuz before recently passing the Strait, said security advisors warned of a growing threat of piracy, with many ships holding valuable cargo but not moving.
“Our security briefings indicated a probability of a resurgence of piracy,” said the officer, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “The sheer amount of vessels idling in the Indian ocean, or close to Bab al-Mandab, or close to Oman, was too much of an opportunity [for pirates] to pass on. And I’m pretty sure that most of those vessels did not even have security guards on board because they were just drifting or waiting for orders.”
Experts pointed to other factors driving the surge of piracy. The International Maritime Bureau lifted the Indian Ocean High Risk Area designation in 2023, which led to weakened adherence to security protocols and reduced spending on security, according to Castor Vali analysis.
Elbanna also noted rising economic insecurity in coastal parts of Somalia, with rampant inflation driving up food prices. He said this is exacerbated by illegal and unregulated fishing by international companies, which has undermined the livelihoods of local fishing communities, adding that this has been a major driver of privacy in the area since the 1990s.
“When you have economic pressure, it’s easier to be recruited by organised crime,” he said.
Local gang leaders are assembling teams of young people and planning attacks for them to carry out, the UN official said, before taking most of the money they generate.
Illegal fishing by international firms that threatens the livelihoods of Somali fishing communities is seen as a driver of piracy (Photo: Abukar Mohamed Muhudin/Anadolu/Getty)
Connections between pirates and criminal groups now extend to Yemen, a launch site for several recent attacks.
Recent reports citing Puntland officials claim the Iran-allied Houthis have supplied equipment and small arms to pirates. The UN has investigated possible coordination but is yet to find strong evidence back the claim.
Jama said the pirate attacks are “complementary” to the Houthis’ goal of disrupting shipping in the area, and suggests the militant group could be providing indirect support for pirates through criminal networks. But he believes the pirates’ backers in Yemen are “criminal gangs that are not extremists, that are not the Houthis”.
Officials and analysts fear the piracy surge is likely to escalate in the coming months. The longer the war in Iran drags on, “the more general maritime security will decrease in the area”, Walker said. Countries that supply anti-piracy forces will increasingly look to safeguard their own interests in an increasingly fractious and threatening geopolitical environment, he predicted.
Walker added that cases of successful hijackings and ransom claims this year have shown potential pirates that security can be breached and rewards are possible. “The incentives have increased and the risks have decreased,” he said.
Elbanna also points to another factor: the weather: “Right now we are in monsoon season, which is the toughest sea conditions. When the sea is getting better, from October onwards, we are expecting more cases.”