Regional conflicts raise fears of renewed piracy in the Gulf of Aden
The EU's Operation Atalanta has recorded more than 70 incidents since November 2023, about half of them this year.
European naval commanders have warned that conflicts in Yemen, Iran and the wider Middle East could fuel a resurgence of piracy off the Horn of Africa.
The European Union's Operation Atalanta, commanded by Portuguese Commodore José Rodrigues Pedra, patrols the waters off Yemen, Somaliland and Somalia. More than 70 piracy incidents have been recorded since November 2023, roughly half of them in 2026.
Commodore Pedra said incidents had peaked twice, first following Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea from 2023 and again after the outbreak of war around the Strait of Hormuz. "I am not saying that there is a direct link with this crisis," he said. "But what I can say is that crisis creates crisis."
Aboard the Spanish frigate Santa María, which carries more than 200 personnel including a special operations team trained to retake seized vessels, commanding officer Fernando María Zumalacárregui Alario said pirates could either operate in the Gulf of Aden or wait offshore in the Somali basin for a target.
Some 12 per cent of global trade passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, including a quarter of the world's container traffic. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, commanders warn that any further disruption would push up prices well beyond the region. Earlier naval deployments and the use of armed guards aboard merchant ships had helped to bring attacks under control in the previous decade.