Revision History

A wave of ship hijackings off Somalia — four in two weeks by late April 2026 — has revived fears of a piracy crisis not seen since the early 2010s, compounded by credible reports of technology transfers from Yemen's Houthi rebels to Somali armed groups. Simultaneously, the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 million barrels of oil flow daily, faces its worst disruption in history as Iran's partial blockade and small-craft attacks converge with the piracy surge to create a two-front maritime security emergency stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Horn of Africa.