Somali Pirates Seize Oil Tanker Near Yemen

Somali pirates have hijacked an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden after boarding the vessel off the coast of Yemen, according to Somali security officials.

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The tanker, MT Eureka, was reportedly seized early in the morning and is now being taken toward Somali waters. Officials said the ship was sailing under the flag of Togo when armed men overran it near the Yemeni port of Qana.

The incident is the latest in a series of piracy attacks that suggest renewed activity along Somalia’s coastline.

Tanker Taken Toward Somali Waters

Security officials from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said the tanker was boarded by gunmen at around 05:00 local time (03:00 BST). The attackers are believed to have launched their operation from a remote coastal area near the town of Qandala on the Gulf of Aden.

After taking control of the vessel, the pirates began sailing it across the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia. Officials expect the ship to anchor in Somali waters in the coming hours.

Earlier, the Yemeni coastguard confirmed that the tanker had been hijacked and said it was heading toward Somalia.

No details have yet been released about the number of crew members on board or their nationalities. Authorities have also not confirmed whether any injuries occurred during the takeover.

Second Oil Tanker Hijacked in 10 Days

The seizure of MT Eureka follows another piracy incident involving an oil tanker less than two weeks earlier.

On 22 April, Somali pirates captured the tanker Honor 25, which was transporting about 18,500 barrels of oil destined for Mogadishu. That attack raised concerns among maritime security officials about a resurgence of piracy in the region.

The latest case marks the second oil tanker hijacked within a 10-day period and the fourth successful pirate seizure reported in the past two weeks.

Separate Encounter Near Yemen

In a separate maritime security report on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a bulk carrier near the Yemeni port city of Al-Mukala had been approached by armed individuals traveling in a small boat.

The group, described as “armed persons” on a skiff, later left the area.

Somali security officials said those individuals were believed to have departed from a remote coastal zone near the fishing town of Caluula, about 209km (130 miles) from the area where the attackers set out to seize MT Eureka.

While the incident did not result in a hijacking, it added to concerns that piracy activity is spreading along Somalia’s extensive coastline.

Concerns Over Renewed Piracy

Somalia has the longest coastline in mainland Africa, stretching roughly 3,333km (2,071 miles). The length of the coast and limited maritime enforcement have historically made the region vulnerable to piracy.

Piracy in Somali waters had fallen sharply after 2011 following years of international naval patrols. However, security officials say attacks have risen again since late 2023.

The resurgence has partly been linked to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Those strikes have drawn the attention of international naval forces toward countering the Houthi threat, potentially leaving fewer resources focused on anti-piracy patrols.

A security official from Puntland warned that the scale of pirate activity may be greater than widely understood.

“The ongoing crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realise,” the official said, adding that armed groups were increasingly active along the coast.

Somali authorities and the European Union Naval Force, which coordinates anti-piracy operations in the region, have not yet issued statements on the latest hijacking.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 3 May 2026