Oil tanker hijacked off Yemen, diverted to Somalia

Yemen’s coast guard said unidentified attackers hijacked the oil tanker EUREKA off Shabwa province and redirected it towards Somalia. Authorities said the vessel has been located and efforts are under way to recover it and protect the crew.

DUBAI: Unidentified assailants hijacked an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen on Saturday and redirected it towards Somalia, according to Yemen’s coast guard.

The coast guard, which is aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said the vessel, EUREKA, was seized off the coast of Shabwa province. It said a group boarded the tanker, took control of it and then steered it towards the Somali coast.

The location of the tanker has been determined, and work is under way to monitor it and take the necessary measures in an attempt to recover it and ensure the safety of its crew.

The coast guard said it would investigate the incident. It did not disclose how many crew members were on board or their nationality.

Shipping tracker Marine Traffic lists EUREKA as a Togolese-flagged oil products tanker. The website also showed that the vessel had been reported at the UAE port of Fujairah in late March.

Renewed concern over attacks

Piracy off Somalia was widespread in the 2000s and reached its height in 2011, when hundreds of attacks were recorded. The threat later declined sharply following international naval deployments and changes in security practices by commercial vessels.

However, attacks have risen again in recent weeks, according to a report by the European Union naval mission operating off Somalia. Operation Atalanta, the EU naval force for Somalia, tracked three attacks in late April, based on information published by its Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean.

The report comes amid broader disruption to shipping in the region since February 28 linked to the US-Israeli war against Iran. There was, however, no immediate indication that the hijacking of EUREKA on Saturday was connected to that conflict.

Last month, a tanker was also seized in the Gulf of Aden by a new pirate group operating from the port town of Garacad in Puntland, in northeastern Somalia, a local security official told AFP.

The latest hijacking adds to concerns over maritime security in waters that are vital for regional and international trade. Yemeni authorities said efforts were continuing to track the vessel and seek its recovery while ensuring the safety of those on board.