AFP Analysis of IMO Data: Somali Piracy Attacks Hit Highest Level Since 2013

An AFP analysis of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Global Integrated Shipping Information System data, published August 27, 2026, found that piracy attacks off the Horn of Africa have reached their highest level since 2013, with at least 15 attacks reported off Somalia and Yemen since the start of the year — up from just 5 attacks recorded in all of 2025. Eight of the 2026 attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen since May alone, the analysis found. The report cited the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel — which began disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026 — as a key contributing factor, alongside reduced naval patrol coverage and lapsed adherence to Best Management Practices aboard merchant vessels. While current attack levels remain far below the 2009-2011 peak of roughly 200 incidents a year, the data confirms a sharp reversal of the near-total suppression of Somali piracy achieved over the preceding decade.