The ship Ruen was hijacked off Somalia. On December 18, the ship indicated it was located 9 miles off the coast of Somalia's Puntland province in the Gulf of Aden, according to MarineTraffic. The boarding of the Ruen is the first hijacking of a merchant ship by Somali pirates since 2017. The event is a consequence of political instability in Puntland following elections, maritime security company Ambrey reported.

Iran is working for the release of the ship Galaxy Leader hijacked by the Yemeni Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, whose operator is the Japanese company Nippon Yusen, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the Japanese NHK television. On board Galaxy Leader, the captain and first captain assistant are Bulgarian citizens.