Regional Navies Form New Task Force as Somali Piracy Returns

Somali pirates seized the tanker Honour 25 on August 13, 2026 — the second hijacking off Somalia this year. They reportedly converted an earlier prize, the MV Sward, into a mothership, extending their operational reach. Regional navies formed a new task force, but its capacity against dispersed pirate tactics is untested. Western naval assets are stretched thin by the Strait of Hormuz crisis and U.S.-Iran war risks.