Piracy Observer Says Somali Incidents Rising as Navies Stretched

By Charles Gorrivan

Aug 21, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The world’s top maritime piracy observer said incidents off the coast of Somalia are on the rise again after a pair of fresh attacks this week — as two major regional conflicts stretch naval forces in the area thin.

Yemen’s Houthis said last month that they would block Saudi Arabia’s ports and targeted several vessels, forcing many ships to avoid the area. At the same time, the Iran war brought chaos to the industry with dozens of freighters attacked in and around the Persian Gulf.

Naval authorities this week reported that a pair of