Much of the world’s ship traffic passes by the Horn of Africa, creating a target-rich environment for enterprising Somalis seeking an escape from the country’s impoverished conditions.

Somali pirates seized a tanker off the coast of Yemen on Thursday—marking a dramatic resurgence of a threat that had largely remained dormant in the Horn of Africa following a US-led crackdown in the early 2010s.

The United Kingdom ‌Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a maritime security organization sponsored by the Royal Navy, received a report on Thursday that a group of armed pirates had seized a tanker sailing off the coast of Yemen. Thursday’s hijacking comes only three days after a similar hijacking near the coast of Puntland in northern Somalia, suggesting the start of a broader trend.

Pirates Captured the Tanker—and Are Bringing It Back to Somalia

According to the center, the Seamull tanker, also known as SIBU 1, broadcast a distress signal on Thursday local time, notifying authorities of an unauthorized vessel approaching it.

“A tanker has broadcast a distress call on VHF 16 that they have been approached by an unauthorized vessel whilst traveling west in the Gulf of Aden,” UKMTO announced in a media release. The incident took place 136 nautical miles (156 miles) east of the Yemeni Al Mukalla port. 

Shortly afterwards, the maritime security organization announced that it had “received confirmation that the tanker has been boarded by six armed persons who are now in control of the vessel and redirecting to Somalia.” 

“Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the organization added.  

The UKMTO is a Royal Navy-sponsored organization that provides continuous communication between international military forces and the commercial merchant shipping community about incidents in high-risk waterways, particularly the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf.

How Somalia Became a Byword for Piracy

The word “pirate” often conjures the image of swashbuckling men of loose morals, drinking and killing for pleasure and treasure in the Caribbean. The popular conception of the pirate—a man with an eyepatch forcing people to walk the plank in shark-infested waters—bears little resemblance to the pirates of today. Yet the same basic act is at play: armed men in vessels forcibly board and take over unsuspecting ships for money.

Modern piracy is primarily concentrated in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean—particularly Somalia, whose vital geopolitical location, high poverty and unemployment, lack of stable governance, and ease of access to weapons have created a perfect storm for enterprising pirates. The most common Somali pirate group is a handful of lightly-armed men on a dinghy with a powerful engine that can outrun large tankers and other commercial vessels. The modern pirate’s modus operandi is to board one of the commercial vessels, capture the crew, return it to friendly waters, and hold the ship and the crew for ransom.

Although there is little chance the pirates can sell off their plunder to the highest bidder, the ship and its contents are typically worth hundreds of millions of dollars, meaning it is far more economical for the owner to pay a small percentage of that for its release than to stonewall and risk losing it altogether. And successful piracy can be incredibly lucrative for those involved. According to the World Bank, Somali pirates attacked more than 1,000 ships between 2005 and 2012, resulting in total ransom payments worth approximately $400 million. (By way of comparison, the average gross salary in Somalia is about $3,200.)

Perhaps the most famous piracy of recent years is the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009. Four Somali pirates captured the American-flagged cargo vessel, triggering an extensive hostage rescue operation by the US military. In the end, the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group, better known as SEAL Team 6, had to intervene to rescue the ship’s American skipper, Captain Richard Phillips. While Navy negotiators lured the chief pirate onboard a guided-missile destroyer, Navy SEAL snipers took out the remaining three pirates with simultaneous shots. That event was later dramatized in the movie Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks in the title role.

As the Maersk Alabama incident shows, piracy can be quite lucrative for a few—but for many, the end result is a cold jail cell or even worse. It remains to be seen what the ultimate fate of Thursday’s hijackers will be.

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a JD from Boston College Law School. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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