Pirates

Somali pirates kill five crew members before tanker rescue, state authorities say

Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar, and one from India. Four others were injured.

|ByREUTERS
Families of the Pakistani hostage crew members of the Oil Products Tanker the HONOUR 25 that was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, hold placards during a protest, calling the government to take immediate action for the safe return of their loved ones, in Karachi, Pakistan May 13, 2026.
FILE PHOTO: Armed militiamen and a pirate walk on a rocky outcrop on the coast in the central Somali town of Hobyo as a a hijacked Korean supertanker lies anchored on the horizon on August 20, 2010.

Iraqi tribe claims it battled Somali pirates to free hijacked ship

The tribal members are from Abu al-Khasib, south of Basra, on the Shatt al Arab waterway. The men come from the village of Jaykur, close to the Iranian border.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Moroccan fisherman sails next to an oil tanker crossing the Strait of Gibraltar with the Atlas Mountains in the background, near the Spanish town of Tarifa, as seen from Tangier, Morocco, January 8, 2026.

US-sanctioned oil tanker Sibu 1 rescued from Somali pirates in semi-autonomous Puntland region

"It was a counter-piracy operation that was carried out by our forces from two days ago and it's still going on," Mohamed Jama, the base commander for Puntland Maritime Police Force told Reuters.

|ByREUTERS
PIRATE PARTY heads Prof. Dan Ariely (left), a behavioral economist, and Noam Kuzar present their candidacy to run in the elections at the Knesset, September 7, 2026.

Ahoy, Knesset: Israel’s Pirate Party sets sail with Dan Ariely on its slate

The veteran fringe party filed a 25-person list for the October election, with the behavioral economist and best-selling author taking the No. 3 spot.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Iran linked oil tanker falls victim to Somali piracy surge

The Eritrea-flagged Sibu 1 was at least the 13th vessel attacked this year off the coast of Somalia or in the Gulf of Aden, which links Somalia and Yemen.

AUGUST 21, 2026ByREUTERS
Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018.

Middle Israel: Iran's Strait of Hormuz piracy is a reckless, losing strategy - opinion

Iran’s blockade of Hormuz is reckless militarily and politically, and likely the beginning of the end of the ayatollahs’ quest to impose theocracy on Iran and Iran’s sway over an unsuspecting world.

AUGUST 14, 2026ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
FROM THE viewpoint of the Iranian people’s economic future, Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a shot in the foot, the writer argues. Here, ships are anchored in the strait off the port of Bandar Abbas, Iran, this week.

Are the Houthis Iran’s last gaming card? – opinion

Weakening the Houthis – Iran’s strongest proxy left – can alleviate the current pressure on Saudi Arabia, Red Sea shipping, Israel, and the region at large

AUGUST 11, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
A member of Houthi security forces mans a machine gun mounted on the back of a patrol vehicle at the site of an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom in Sanaa, Yemen, last month.

Red Sea shipping drops after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil sites, data shows

Eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months, the data showed.

JULY 27, 2026ByREUTERS
A Houthi follower rises a weapon as he attends a rally marking one year of Saudi-led air strikes, in Yemen's capital Sanaa.

Merchant ship hijacked off Yemen now held by Somali pirates, residents say

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said last week that a vessel boarded by unauthorized personnel in the Gulf of Aden had been maneuvered into Somali waters, classifying it as a hijack.

JULY 24, 2026ByREUTERS
An Indian soldier stands guard next to captured Somali pirates after they were brought in for prosecution by the Indian Navy, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, India, March 23, 2024.

Somali terror groups could tighten Hormuz chokehold through Bab-el-Mandeb piracy, experts say

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is already considered a significant vulnerability due to the presence of Yemen's Houthi terrorists.

MAY 5, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship is from Lido beach in central Mogadishu, on April 25, 2025 in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The Red Sea strategy: What does Israel stand to gain from recognizing Somaliland? - analysis

Some may see it as creating a new era of international competition in the Horn of Africa - but the real issue is it may appear more of a strategic chessboard than it is.

DECEMBER 27, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Somalis react after Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, in Mogadishu, Somalia, December 27, 2025

Iran seizes Eswatini-flagged vessel for smuggling fuel

Iran seized an Eswatini-flagged ship carrying 350,000 liters of smuggled fuel off Bushehr, detaining its 13 crew amid ongoing efforts to curb fuel smuggling.

NOVEMBER 30, 2025ByREUTERS
Etswani flagged vessel.

LNG tanker evades pirates off Somalia as attacks escalate, maritime sources say

Amid a recent spate of armed attacks on vessels in the region, a liquefied natural gas tanker outran pirates seeking to board the vessel.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025ByREUTERS
An Indian soldier stands guard next to captured Somali pirates after they were brought in for prosecution by the Indian Navy, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, India, March 23, 2024.

Assailants attack tanker off Somali coast in suspected pirate strike

If confirmed, this would be the first Somali piracy attack against a commercial ship in over a year.

NOVEMBER 3, 2025ByREUTERS
An Indian soldier stands guard next to captured Somali pirates after they were brought in for prosecution by the Indian Navy, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, India, March 23, 2024.