Somalia's Pirates are Back

I'm the Captain Now If that phrase is familiar to you've doubtlessly seen the movie Captain Phillips about the hijacking of the Maersk, Alabama by Somali pirates. That movie was set in 2009 and came out in 2013, and by then the issue already seemed a little old-fashioned.

Somali piracy was in decline, multiple Middle Eastern nations were collapsing into civil war, and frankly, it felt like the world had moved on.

Well, jump forward to 2026 and it turns out that this lull was just an epic timeout before their triumphant return. Somalia's pirates are back. Already this year, there have been at least 15 separate attacks, which puts us on pace for the worst year since 2013, with two more this month alone.