Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) In 2011, there were 212 attempted attacks against vessels off of the Somali coast, more than 1,000 crew were held hostage, and 35 seafarers were killed. (2) Over the past decade through the beginning of 2023, rates of piracy in the Western Indian Ocean subsided. (3) Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on October 7th have impacted global shipping markets. (4) There has been a surge in Somali pirate attacks, beginning in the fall of 2023 and lasting into 2024, that has coincided with and taken advantage of Houthi aggression. (5) On March 12, 2024, Somali pirates hijacked a Bangladeshi-flagged ship and took its crew hostage.

Congress finds the following: (1) In 2011, there were 212 attempted attacks against vessels off of the Somali coast, more than 1,000 crew were held hostage, and 35 seafarers were killed. (2) Over the past decade through the beginning of 2023, rates of piracy in the Western Indian Ocean subsided. (3) Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on October 7th have impacted global shipping markets. (4) There has been a surge in Somali pirate attacks, beginning in the fall of 2023 and lasting into 2024, that has coincided with and taken advantage of Houthi aggression.