Somali pirates have been attacking and seizing commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters at a rate not seen since 2011, when piracy in the region was at its peak, according to warnings issued by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
Since late April, UKMTO has issued four warnings in the Somali Basin in April and eight in the Gulf of Aden in May and June. The center’s latest advisory note reported that Somali pirates are holding three vessels taken on April 21, 26, and May 2. Four additional attacks have been documented in the region in June alone.
The most recent incident occurred roughly 105 nautical miles northeast of Aden, near the Yemeni coast. UKMTO reported that “a vessel has been approached to within 4 meters and fired upon by 2 skiffs with an unknown number of armed persons on board. The vessel has deployed [its] security team and returned fire.”
Two attacks were recorded on June 15. In one, UKMTO said “a tanker has reported being approached by a small skiff with 4 crew. The crew of the skiff were armed and opened fire on the vessel with an RPG.” That attack occurred midway between the Horn of Africa and Yemen. In the second, just 14 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, UKMTO reported that “a container vessel has reported being approached by a small skiff. The crew of the small skiff opened fire on the vessel and attempted to board.”
On June 10, midway between Yemen and the Horn, “a cargo vessel has reported being approached by one craft with 6 armed persons onboard. There was an exchange of fire between the small craft and the cargo vessels [sic] Armed Security Team resulting in the small craft turning away,” according to UKMTO. Commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden frequently carry armed security personnel.
The attacks are distinct from Houthi operations, which largely occur in the Red Sea using longer-range systems such as drones and missiles. But the two threats may be converging. Mohamed Musa Abulle, the deputy director of intelligence for the Puntland Maritime Police Force from Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland, alleged in January 2026 that Somali pirates had received weapons and GPS devices from the Houthis, according to Africa Defense Forum, the magazine of U.S. Africa Command. The UN has similarly reported increases in Houthi ties with terrorists and bad actors in the Horn of Africa, particularly Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia.
With three vessels still held by pirates and attacks continuing at a pace of roughly one every two days, UKMTO advisories for the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin remain active for all commercial shipping transiting the region.