Pirate Threat Resurfaces in Somali Waters as LNG Tanker Outruns Attack

A liquefied natural gas tanker managed to evade pirates off the Somali coast on Friday, according to maritime security sources. This incident is fueling concerns of escalating piracy in the region, a problem that had subsided for years but is now re-emerging amidst recent armed attacks on vessels.

On Friday, the LNG tanker Al Thumama evaded an approaching speedboat with three individuals aboard, while en route from Qatar to Poland via the Cape of Good Hope. This follows an attack the day before on the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite in the same area, where the crew took refuge in a fortified room.

The European Union responded by deploying a warship to Somali waters. Despite a decline in piracy thanks to Western naval interventions, concerns remain due to new threats from groups like Yemen's Houthi militia in the Red Sea, forcing ships to reroute along East Africa's coastline.