Remember Somali pirates? The early 2010s called, and apparently they want their maritime crime wave back. According to a new Al Jazeera report, piracy off the Somali coast - which peaked spectacularly around 2010 before being largely suppressed by 2013 - appears to be staging a comeback in 2026.

A brief history of people saying 'arrr' in the Indian Ocean

The golden age of Somali piracy (yes, that is a sentence that exists) saw hundreds of ships hijacked and billions of dollars extracted in ransoms over the course of several years. At its height in 2010-2011, pirate activity off the Horn of Africa was a genuine geopolitical headache, prompting coordinated international naval patrols and enough real-life drama to fuel several Hollywood productions - including, yes, that Tom Hanks film.

By 2013, a combination of naval deterrence, onboard security teams, and improved coastal governance in some regions had effectively hammered piracy down to near-zero. Analysts at the time were cautiously optimistic. Some even declared victory.

They may have spoken too soon.

So what changed?

Al Jazeera's data-focused breakdown points to a resurgence of incidents in 2026, raising uncomfortable questions about whether the underlying conditions - poverty, weak state authority, and opportunity on one of the world's busiest shipping corridors - were ever truly resolved, or just temporarily patched over.

The timing is notable. Global shipping has already been under significant stress from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea disrupting major trade routes. A simultaneous return of Somali piracy would add yet another layer of chaos to maritime commerce in the region.

History repeating?

Experts have long warned that piracy suppression without addressing root causes is essentially a game of whack-a-mole on the high seas. Without economic alternatives and functioning institutions onshore, the sea remains an attractive - if dangerous - source of income for some communities along the Somali coast.

Whether this 2026 uptick represents a full-blown resurgence or just a statistical blip remains to be seen. But shipping companies, insurers, and naval planners are almost certainly dusting off old contingency playbooks right about now.

For the rest of us, it is a reminder that some problems do not get solved - they just go quiet for a while and wait for a sequel.

Source: Al Jazeera, "Are Somali pirates on a comeback in 2026?" (May 3, 2026)