EU NAVFOR Blames Iran War for Piracy Surge as Honour 25 Enters Day 6 With 17 Crew Held Off Puntland

EU Naval Force Atalanta formally attributed the sharp resurgence of Somali piracy to the Iran conflict, warning that the regional war has diverted international naval attention away from counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean, according to an Insurance Journal report from April 29, 2026. EU NAVFOR acknowledged that piracy is 'being contained, rather than eradicated,' and that the Strait of Hormuz crisis triggered by the Iran War has stretched coalition naval resources to the point where the Somali piracy threat has re-emerged with force. Three vessels were hijacked in a single week (April 21–26) off the Puntland coast — a pace not seen since the 2011 piracy peak of 176 incidents per year. The International Maritime Bureau warned that Somali pirates are 'likely to continue testing the waters,' predicting further hijacking attempts in the coming weeks. The most high-profile case — the Palau-flagged fuel tanker Honour 25 carrying 18,500 barrels of fuel oil — entered its sixth day of captivity on April 30, with all 17 multinational crew members (10 Pakistanis, 4 Indonesians, 1 Indian, 1 Sri Lankan, 1 Myanmar national) still held at anchor off the Puntland coast between Hafun (Xaafuun) and Bandarbeyla. No ransom has been publicly demanded and negotiations have not begun. The captain's family issued a public appeal for international help on April 29. The piracy surge has direct economic consequences for Somalia: the Honour 25's fuel cargo was destined for Mogadishu, where gas prices have already tripled in early 2026. Combined with Iran-conflict Red Sea disruptions raising humanitarian aid logistics costs by 50%, Somalia's maritime threat is now compounding an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in which 6.5 million people face acute food insecurity.