Follow-Ups|Forum of Horn Vision"HAPC"

Saturday|June20,2026

In a worrying sign of the return of more daring waves of maritime piracy, Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast have turned into a scene of armed confrontations and chases at sea in recent days.

According to observers, Multiple simultaneous attacks by Somali pirate groups are reviving international concerns that many thought were a thing of the past, and are putting global maritime security in one of the world’s most important waterways at risk .

The explosive scene began on June 15 , just 14 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast, targeting pirates The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship “Greta Star” found itself in a hail of fire.

According to specialized reports from the maritime security company “Vanguard Tech” , the ship’s crew spotted a small, fast boat heading towards them with armed men on board.

Therefore, The attackers did not delay in showing their intentions, as they showered the ship with a barrage of heavy fire, trying to force it to stop and board it.

According to the report, the ship’s crew did not give up; rather, they entered a race against time by increasing speed to the maximum extent and taking well-thought-out “countermeasures” , and were able to survive and thwart the attack without any human casualties.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) immediately intervened in the crisis, confirming that an official investigation into the incident had been opened, and issuing an urgent warning to all ships sailing in the area to raise their alert levels to the maximum and to report any suspicious movements immediately.

In another piracy incident, specifically 32 nautical miles south of the Somali region of “Hafun” , a general cargo ship flying the flag of “Palau” fought a fiercer battle. The ship, sailing at a speed of 4.35 knots, was attacked by two boats carrying 12 armed men.

According to Ambrey Security Consulting, the pirates fired heavily and ordered the ship to stop immediately, and the ship got rid of the attack by being protected by an accompanying armed security team.

The guards opened fire on the attackers, and the exchange of fire continued for about 30 full minutes in the open sea. The ship’s escort team managed to repel the two boats and change course while increasing its speed to get away from the danger, without any casualties or injuries on either side.

These recent attacks cannot be viewed in isolation from the alarming increase in the pace of security operations in the region, as records from the British Maritime Trade Operations indicate that the same region has witnessed a rebound surge in piracy activity since late April, culminating in the complete hijacking of two ships.

These successive events sound the alarm once again, highlighting the growing security fragility in the Gulf of Aden and the eastern coast of Somalia, posing complex challenges for international shipping companies and maritime protection forces to avoid a return to the “golden age of piracy”.