# Ships hijacked or attacked off Somalia, 2005 to 2026

> A dated list of ships hijacked or attacked off Somalia from 2005 to 2026: ship, type and flag, what happened, and a source for each case, with yearly totals.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/economy/ships-hijacked-off-somalia/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

Ship attacks off Somalia grew from the mid-2000s. Pirates held ships and crews until owners paid ransoms ([Wikipedia, List of ships attacked by Somali pirates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_attacked_by_Somali_pirates)). For who ran the networks and how the attacks were stopped, see [Piracy off Somalia](/en/institutions/piracy-off-somalia/).

By October 2012 attacks had fallen to a six-year low, with one ship attacked in the third quarter against 36 in the same months of 2011, according to the International Maritime Bureau. In 2013 the US Office of Naval Intelligence counted 9 attacks and no successful hijackings. Control Risks credited better practice by ship crews, armed guards on board, navies at sea and new coastal forces on land (all as reported in [Wikipedia, List of ships attacked by Somali pirates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_attacked_by_Somali_pirates)).

Oceans Beyond Piracy estimated the cost of Somali piracy to world trade at **$6.6 to $6.9 billion a year** in 2011 (same source).

## The cases

Dates are when the ship was seized or attacked. "Flag" is the country where the ship was registered, which is often not the owner's country.

| Date | Ship | Type and flag | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 2005 | Feisty Gas | LPG tanker, Hong Kong | Released; owner reportedly paid $315,000 in Mombasa, according to a UN report | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Feisty_Gas) |
| 27 Jun 2005 | Semlow | Freighter with UN food aid, Kenya | Held about 100 days; released 3 Oct 2005 | [source](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4636695.stm) |
| 5 Nov 2005 | Seabourn Spirit | Cruise ship, Bahamas | Attack failed; crew drove pirates off with a hose and a sound device | [source](http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/11/05/somalia.pirates/index.html) |
| 16 Jan 2006 | Safina al-Birsarat | Dhow, India | Retaken by USS Winston S. Churchill on 22 Jan; ten men later jailed in Kenya | [source](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6105262.stm) |
| 1 Jun 2007 | Danica White | Cargo ship, Denmark | Held 83 days; released after a $723,000 ransom | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Danica_White) |
| 28 Oct 2007 | Golden Nori | Chemical tanker, Japan | Hijacked with 23 crew | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Golden_Nori) |
| 29 Oct 2007 | Dai Hong Dan | Cargo ship, North Korea | Crew regained control the next day | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Hong_Dan_incident) |
| 21 Aug 2008 | Iran Deyanat | Bulk carrier, Iran | Freed 10 Oct 2008, crew unharmed | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Iran_Deyanat) |
| 15 Sep 2008 | Stolt Valor | Chemical tanker, Hong Kong | Hijacked in the Gulf of Aden safety corridor | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MT_Stolt_Valor) |
| 25 Sep 2008 | Faina | Ro-ro ship, Belize flag | Released 5 to 6 Feb 2009 after a reported $3.2 million ransom | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Faina) |
| 29 Oct 2008 | Yasa Neslihan | Bulk carrier, Marshall Islands flag | Hijacked with 20 Turkish crew | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Yasa_Neslihan) |
| 10 Nov 2008 | Stolt Strength | Chemical tanker, Philippines | Released 21 Apr 2009 | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Stolt_Strength) |
| 11 Nov 2008 | Powerful | Cargo ship, Denmark | Attack stopped by HMS Cumberland and a Russian frigate | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Powerful) |
| 15 Nov 2008 | Sirius Star | Oil supertanker, Liberia flag, Saudi Aramco's Vela | Seized with 2 million barrels of crude; released Jan 2009 | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Sirius_Star) |
| 18 Nov 2008 | Delight | Grain carrier, Hong Kong | Released 10 Jan 2009 | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Delight) |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Zhenhua 4 | Ship of China Communications Construction | Attack beaten off | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Zhenhua_4) |
| 1 Jan 2009 | S Venus | Freighter, Panama | Attack beaten off by guards on board | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_S_Venus) |
| 4 Apr 2009 | Hansa Stavanger | Container ship, Germany | Hijacked; a German police rescue was called off | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Hansa_Stavanger) |
| 6 Apr 2009 | Win Far 161 | Fishing vessel, Taiwan | Used as a mother ship; released 11 Feb 2010 after ransom; two crew died in captivity | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FV_Win_Far_No.161) |
| 8 Apr 2009 | Maersk Alabama | Container ship, United States | Captain held in a lifeboat; US Navy rescue on 12 Apr, three pirates killed | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk_Alabama_hijacking) |
| 14 Apr 2009 | Liberty Sun | Cargo ship with food aid, United States | Attack failed | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Liberty_Sun) |
| 26 Apr 2009 | Qana | Tanker, Yemen | Retaken by Yemen's coastguard next day | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Qana) |
| 8 Jul 2009 | Horizon-1 | Bulk carrier, Turkey | Hijacked in the Gulf of Aden with 23 Turkish crew | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon-1) |
| 29 Mar 2010 | Iceberg 1 | Ro-ro ship, Panama | Held nearly three years; freed by Puntland maritime forces on 23 Dec 2012 | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Iceberg_1) |
| 4 Apr 2010 | Samho Dream | Supertanker, South Korea | Released 6 Nov 2010 after 217 days and a ransom | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Samho_Dream) |
| 7 Apr 2010 | Yasin C | Bulk carrier, Turkey | Crew locked in engine room; released without ransom 10 Apr | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Yasin_C) |
| 5 May 2010 | Moscow University | Tanker, Russia | Retaken by a Russian Navy warship next day | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Moscow_University) |
| 10 Oct 2010 | Izumi | Cargo ship, Japan to Mombasa | Held off Hobyo and Harardhere and used as a mother ship | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Izumi) |
| 15 Jan 2011 | Samho Jewelry | Chemical tanker, South Korea | Retaken by South Korean Navy commandos six days later | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Samho_Jewelry) |
| 8 Feb 2011 | Savina Caylyn | Oil tanker, Italy | Hijacked about 880 miles off Somalia with 22 crew | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savina_Caylyn) |
| 5 Mar 2011 | Guanabara | Oil tanker | Crew hid in a safe room; four pirates captured, three tried in Japan | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Guanabara) |
| 12 Jan 2012 | Patiño | Spanish Navy supply ship | Attacked by mistake; one pirate killed, six captured | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Spanish_oiler_Patiño) |
| 13 Mar 2017 | Aris 13 | Tanker, Comoros | Seized off Alula, first big hijack since 2012; released, no ransom paid | [source](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-hijack-idUSKBN16L0EW) |
| 12 Mar 2024 | Abdullah | Bulk carrier, Bangladesh | Released after ransom | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_attacked_by_Somali_pirates) |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Honour 25 | Tanker, Palau, 17 crew | Five-month standoff; Puntland Maritime Police Force retook it on 29 Sep 2026; five crew killed by the hijackers, 16 suspects detained | [source](https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/puntland-forces-rescue-another-hijacked-ship-somali-pirates-2026-09-29/) |

## After 2012

The tanker **Aris 13**, seized off [Alula](/en/regions/caluula/) in March 2017, was the first large commercial ship hijacked since 2012 ([Reuters, March 2017](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-hijack-idUSKBN16L0EW)).

From late 2023 attacks grew again. The Bangladeshi bulk carrier **Abdullah** was seized on 12 March 2024 and released after a ransom ([Wikipedia, List of ships attacked by Somali pirates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_attacked_by_Somali_pirates)). In 2026 pirates held the tanker **Honour 25** off [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) for five months; their demand fell from $3 million to $1 million before the [Puntland Maritime Police Force](/en/institutions/puntland-security-forces/) stormed the ship ([Reuters, 29 September 2026](https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/puntland-forces-rescue-another-hijacked-ship-somali-pirates-2026-09-29/)).

## About this list

The list covers cases with their own published record. It is not every attack: the International Maritime Bureau counted 237 attempted and 28 successful hijackings in 2011 alone (see [Piracy off Somalia](/en/institutions/piracy-off-somalia/)).

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