Agence France-Presse revealed that the number of pirate attacks targeting commercial ships off the coast of the Horn of Africa this year has reached its highest levels in 13 years.
According to data from the United Nations' International Maritime Organization, at least 15 pirate attacks have been recorded since the beginning of the year, with eight attacks occurring in May alone, indicating a significant escalation of the phenomenon.
The largest attack, which occurred on April 21, topped the list of these assaults when thirty pirates attacked the oil tanker "Honor 25," which remains under pirate control.
The last time the region witnessed similar levels of attacks was in 2013, with international reports recording very few incidents in subsequent years, not exceeding five attacks throughout the entire year of 2025.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia caused severe disruptions to the maritime transport sector from the late 2000s until the end of the 2010s, when armed groups launched attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
While international efforts, including naval patrols, contributed to a significant decrease in the number of attacks at the beginning of this decade, recent indicators confirm a notable resurgence of these groups' activity.
