Unregistered small vessels: the hidden threat sailing East Africa’s coast

From drugs to arms to poaching, unmarked boats sustain a criminal economy threatening coastal livelihoods and security.

Published on 21 July 2026 in ISS Today

By

Willis Okumu
Senior Researcher, Transnational Threats and Organised Crime, ISS Nairobi

In October 2025, a major maritime operation in the high seas revealed the evolving sophistication of organised crime along East Africa’s Swahili Coast. Acting on a tip-off, the Kenyan Navy intercepted the MV Mashallah, an unregistered ‘fishing’ dhow, 340 nautical miles (630 km) east of Lamu in northern Kenya.

The vessel contained over one tonne of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of KSh8.2 billion (US$63.4 million). The operation was based on intelligence provided by the Regional Narcotics Interagency Fusion Cell in Bahrain and Seychelles’ Regional Operations Coordination Centre. Interpol supported the search and crime scene management. 

The seizure, destined for Kenya, indicates a disturbing shift. East African shores are no longer merely transit nodes along global drug routes, but entry points for manufactured drugs, intended for sale on local markets.

Kenyan authorities established that the six Iranian suspects arrested on board MV Mashallah used Thuraya satellite phones and a Global Positioning System device to coordinate their movements and delivery of their massive cargo.

High-seas smuggling networks favour Thuraya satellite phones for the coverage they provide in the coastal waters of the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean. Crucially, they enable communication and the transfer of contraband between small boats and large deep-sea vessels, effectively bypassing national telecommunication authorities.

Unregistered vessels on the Swahili Coast are increasingly linked to piracy, illegal fishing and drug trafficking

The MV Mashallah is among the many unregistered vessels on the Swahili Coast that are increasingly linked to organised crimes such as piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling of arms and ammunition and drug trafficking. By operating without visible national markings, these boats obscure their ownership and allow traffickers to move illicit cargo with relative impunity.

While drug trafficking is the most visible manifestation, these vessels support a vast criminal economy. Off Somalia’s coast, unregistered dhows have been used as ‘motherships’ to launch piracy attacks on commercial vessels and smuggle weapons.

In April 2025, the United States Africa Command bombed a vessel suspected of arms trafficking off the coast of Somalia. The ship was reportedly linked to the delivery of ‘advanced conventional weapons’ to al-Shabaab. Cases of arms smuggling from Yemen to Somalia using unregistered vessels have been recorded in the past. In 2023, a vessel carrying over 2 000 AK-47 rifles destined for al-Shabaab in Somalia was intercepted.

Unregistered vessels are also used to facilitate the illegal wildlife trade from the shores of East Africa to overseas markets in Asia. Radiated tortoises from Madagascar and rhino horn from Northern Mozambique have been smuggled in dhows to larger vessels in the Indian Ocean.

Beyond security threats, these maritime governance gaps undermine the livelihoods of communities living along the Swahili Coast. Unregistered fishing vessels destroy artisanal fishers’ nets through ‘bottom trawling’ – the use of large nets on the ocean floor to scoop up all marine life. This practice also damages corals and results in the capture of endangered species such as turtles.

Without visible national markings, ownership is obscure, allowing traffickers to move illicit cargo with impunity

Unregistered fishing boats often lack fishing licenses, leading to the unchecked exploitation of fisheries resources and the depletion of prawn and other species. A recent report by Transform Bottom Trawling identified a high number of unregistered fishing vessels in Ungwana Bay, part of the Malindi-Ungwana Bay complex on the Kenyan coast, leading to conflicts with artisanal fishers.

Further north, a 2026 study in Somaliland by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) ENACT programme identified Bosaso as a major coastal hub where unregistered vessels exploit Somalia’s rich fish resources.

As in Kenya, limited capacity for patrolling hinders consistent responses, a problem compounded by Somalia’s complex federal-autonomous region arrangement. The net result is widespread exploitation by Somali and foreign actors of both fishing and other forms of illegal trade.

The Djibouti Code of Conduct is a regional policy developed to curb the activities of unregistered vessels operating along the East African coast, among other objectives. It aims to secure the continental maritime domain by enhancing surveillance, addressing vessel trafficking and prosecuting unregistered vessels. This code emphasises regional coordination and interdiction of unregistered vessels.

Efforts to improve East African maritime security have also involved fishermen in community policing at sea through Beach Management Units that co-manage activities and encourage the reporting of security threats. Despite these efforts, unregistered vessels continue to operate, undermining livelihoods and stability.

Local communities can identify perpetrators, transhipment routes and sites used to land contraband

ISS maritime expert Denys Reva argues that a lack of information sharing among government departments and between states, and the absence of appropriate legislation, inhibit regional coordination and action to prevent crime. Curbing unregistered small-vessel operations will require coordinated, consistent regional action to enhance deterrence. The interception of MV Mashallah is an example of such action.

Local communities such as fisherfolk, small-vessel transporters and Beach Management Units can help identify perpetrators, their transhipment routes and sites used to land contraband along East Africa’s coast. An example is Tanzania’s Jahazi project, launched in August 2025, that coordinates community-based responses and government-led maritime security initiatives.

The MV Mashallah shows the results of international intelligence, a capable naval response and coordination. A sustained regional strategy is needed that combines regional and state intelligence with community-led vigilance to enable immediate action within East Africa’s maritime frontier.


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