Alarmed by the threats of piracy now spreading farther than the Gulf of Aden, the international shipping community is seriously considering the idea of avoiding the route through the perilous waters.
Maersk, the world's largest shipping company, announced its 50-strong oil tanker fleet would make a major detour to avoid the pirate-plagued waters off the Somali coast because it could no longer guarantee the safety of the slow-moving ships.
"Vessels without adequate speed or freeboard will for the time being avoid the Gulf of Aden and seek alternative routing south of the Cape of Good Hope and east of Madagascar," a spokesman for the Danish group AP Moller-Maersk said.
This would only change if the ships were able to sail with the protection of escorts as part of a convoy.
Other major companies are also considering new security measures.
The oil company BP said it is constantly monitoring the security and safety of its ships. BP, which operates 77 managed vessels and a further 115 under charter, is "looking at suitable measures to protect them."
Another British company, BG Group, which operates a fleet of four of its own and nine chartered vessels for the transport of liquefied natural gas, also said that it was reviewing the security of the areas in which it operates, which include the Gulf of Aden.
Soren Skou, a partner of AP Moller-Maersk, said that piracy in the Gulf of Aden is a threat to important international trade lanes and therefore an international security issue.
The Saudi owners of the hijacked super oil tanker Sirius Star are negotiating with the pirates over a $25 million ransom, despite pleas from the British and Saudi governments to resist paying the money.
The mammoth tanker, carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil, was hijacked last Saturday in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast with 25 crewmembers on board.
World leaders urged shipping companies and their insurers not to encourage the pirates by giving in to ransom demands.
Sirius Star is the latest among the victims of piracy by lawless Somali gangs for ransom.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, more than 80 vessels have been attacked off the east African country's coast since January, of which 33 were hijacked. 12 vessels, including the Ukrainian freighter MV Faina carrying tanks and other military hardware, were seized in September.
The pirates hold more than 250 crewmembers captive. Most of the gangs are based in northern Somalia's Puntland region.
The international community has been initiating a series of measures to counter the menace recently.
International naval forces were deployed in the region in the wake of rising attacks on vessels. Warships from NATO, the European Union, South Korea, Russia, and India are patrolling off the Somali cost to protect one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
Arab leaders met earlier this week in Egypt to discuss the crisis. The European Union will send warships and reconnaissance aircrafts for patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden from December 8.
In a rare show of unanimity, the UN Security Council decided to impose a travel ban and assets freeze on Somali pirates and curb the illegal flow of weapons to Somalia.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon revealed the other day that Somali pirates have collected more than $30 million in ransoms over the past year.
The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with around 20,000 ships passing through it each year.
The vital sea route connects the Gulf and Asia to Europe and beyond via the Suez Canal. It is critical to Gulf oil shipments.
Armed pirates plying off the eastern coast in speedboats target ships carrying valuable cargo as an easy source of money. They are using it to fund lavish lifestyles and to help the insurgents in the poverty-stricken Northeast African country.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. Pirates there are often trained fighters, many of them dressed in military fatigues and armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.