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Ships hijacked or attacked off Somalia, 2005 to 2026

From 2005 to 2012, hundreds of ships were attacked off Somalia and dozens were held for ransom, among them the supertankers Sirius Star and Samho Dream, the arms ship Faina and the Maersk Alabama. Attacks fell to almost none by 2013. They resumed on a smaller scale from 2017 and again from late 2023: the bulk carrier Abdullah was held in 2024 and the tanker Honour 25 was retaken by Puntland forces in September 2026. This page lists cases with a published record, with a source for each.

Last checked 2026-11-12 35 sources Reading time: 6 min

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). For who ran the networks and how the attacks were stopped, see 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).

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
27 Jun 2005 Semlow Freighter with UN food aid, Kenya Held about 100 days; released 3 Oct 2005 source
5 Nov 2005 Seabourn Spirit Cruise ship, Bahamas Attack failed; crew drove pirates off with a hose and a sound device source
16 Jan 2006 Safina al-Birsarat Dhow, India Retaken by USS Winston S. Churchill on 22 Jan; ten men later jailed in Kenya source
1 Jun 2007 Danica White Cargo ship, Denmark Held 83 days; released after a $723,000 ransom source
28 Oct 2007 Golden Nori Chemical tanker, Japan Hijacked with 23 crew source
29 Oct 2007 Dai Hong Dan Cargo ship, North Korea Crew regained control the next day source
21 Aug 2008 Iran Deyanat Bulk carrier, Iran Freed 10 Oct 2008, crew unharmed source
15 Sep 2008 Stolt Valor Chemical tanker, Hong Kong Hijacked in the Gulf of Aden safety corridor source
25 Sep 2008 Faina Ro-ro ship, Belize flag Released 5 to 6 Feb 2009 after a reported $3.2 million ransom source
29 Oct 2008 Yasa Neslihan Bulk carrier, Marshall Islands flag Hijacked with 20 Turkish crew source
10 Nov 2008 Stolt Strength Chemical tanker, Philippines Released 21 Apr 2009 source
11 Nov 2008 Powerful Cargo ship, Denmark Attack stopped by HMS Cumberland and a Russian frigate source
15 Nov 2008 Sirius Star Oil supertanker, Liberia flag, Saudi Aramco's Vela Seized with 2 million barrels of crude; released Jan 2009 source
18 Nov 2008 Delight Grain carrier, Hong Kong Released 10 Jan 2009 source
17 Dec 2008 Zhenhua 4 Ship of China Communications Construction Attack beaten off source
1 Jan 2009 S Venus Freighter, Panama Attack beaten off by guards on board source
4 Apr 2009 Hansa Stavanger Container ship, Germany Hijacked; a German police rescue was called off source
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
8 Apr 2009 Maersk Alabama Container ship, United States Captain held in a lifeboat; US Navy rescue on 12 Apr, three pirates killed source
14 Apr 2009 Liberty Sun Cargo ship with food aid, United States Attack failed source
26 Apr 2009 Qana Tanker, Yemen Retaken by Yemen's coastguard next day source
8 Jul 2009 Horizon-1 Bulk carrier, Turkey Hijacked in the Gulf of Aden with 23 Turkish crew source
29 Mar 2010 Iceberg 1 Ro-ro ship, Panama Held nearly three years; freed by Puntland maritime forces on 23 Dec 2012 source
4 Apr 2010 Samho Dream Supertanker, South Korea Released 6 Nov 2010 after 217 days and a ransom source
7 Apr 2010 Yasin C Bulk carrier, Turkey Crew locked in engine room; released without ransom 10 Apr source
5 May 2010 Moscow University Tanker, Russia Retaken by a Russian Navy warship next day source
10 Oct 2010 Izumi Cargo ship, Japan to Mombasa Held off Hobyo and Harardhere and used as a mother ship source
15 Jan 2011 Samho Jewelry Chemical tanker, South Korea Retaken by South Korean Navy commandos six days later source
8 Feb 2011 Savina Caylyn Oil tanker, Italy Hijacked about 880 miles off Somalia with 22 crew source
5 Mar 2011 Guanabara Oil tanker Crew hid in a safe room; four pirates captured, three tried in Japan source
12 Jan 2012 Patiño Spanish Navy supply ship Attacked by mistake; one pirate killed, six captured source
13 Mar 2017 Aris 13 Tanker, Comoros Seized off Alula, first big hijack since 2012; released, no ransom paid source
12 Mar 2024 Abdullah Bulk carrier, Bangladesh Released after ransom source
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

After 2012

The tanker Aris 13, seized off Alula in March 2017, was the first large commercial ship hijacked since 2012 (Reuters, March 2017).

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). In 2026 pirates held the tanker Honour 25 off Puntland for five months; their demand fell from $3 million to $1 million before the Puntland Maritime Police Force stormed the ship (Reuters, 29 September 2026).

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).

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, List of ships attacked by Somali pirates · en.wikipedia.org
  2. source · en.wikipedia.org
  3. source · news.bbc.co.uk
  4. source · edition.cnn.com
  5. source · news.bbc.co.uk
  6. source · en.wikipedia.org
  7. source · en.wikipedia.org
  8. source · en.wikipedia.org
  9. source · en.wikipedia.org
  10. source · en.wikipedia.org
  11. source · en.wikipedia.org
  12. source · en.wikipedia.org
  13. source · en.wikipedia.org
  14. source · en.wikipedia.org
  15. source · en.wikipedia.org
  16. source · en.wikipedia.org
  17. source · en.wikipedia.org
  18. source · en.wikipedia.org
  19. source · en.wikipedia.org
  20. source · en.wikipedia.org
  21. source · en.wikipedia.org
  22. source · en.wikipedia.org
  23. source · en.wikipedia.org
  24. source · en.wikipedia.org
  25. source · en.wikipedia.org
  26. source · en.wikipedia.org
  27. source · en.wikipedia.org
  28. source · en.wikipedia.org
  29. source · en.wikipedia.org
  30. source · en.wikipedia.org
  31. source · en.wikipedia.org
  32. source · en.wikipedia.org
  33. source · en.wikipedia.org
  34. source · reuters.com
  35. source · reuters.com

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