Iran linked oil tanker falls victim to Somali piracy surge

An oil tanker, the Eritrea-flagged Sibu 1, which is under U.S. sanctions for allegedly transporting Iranian petroleum products, has fallen victim to a surge in Somali piracy. The vessel was boarded off the coast of Yemen and diverted toward Somalia by six armed individuals on Thursday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The Sibu 1 was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury last December for its alleged role in a shadow fleet helping Iran evade sanctions. This incident is the 13th vessel attack this year in the waters off Somalia or in the Gulf of Aden, a stark increase from the five attacks recorded in all of 2025, data from the International Maritime Bureau and UKMTO shows.

Piracy in the western Indian Ocean, which peaked between 2008 and 2014, previously created a significant security crisis costing the global economy billions. While international naval responses had largely curbed these attacks, experts warn that the failure to address the underlying economic and security issues in Somalia allows piracy to re-emerge.

"The piracy was always suppressed. It was never really fully eradicated," said Timothy Walker, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. Experts also point to the impacts of the Iran war, including higher oil prices making tankers more attractive targets and the diversion of naval assets away from anti-piracy efforts towards the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.

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The piracy was always suppressed. It was never really fully eradicated.