Oil tanker seized off Yemen coast by suspected Somali pirates

An oil tanker was seized off the coast of Yemen in an attack the Yemeni coastguard attributed to Somali pirates. The Yemeni coastguard said the Astana was taken about 26 nautical miles from Hadramawt province on Friday. UKMTO reported an illegal boarding 65 nautical miles south of Mukalla and said the vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel.

Incident details Early reports indicated one person was seen near the bridge and the tanker was moving slowly southeast toward Somalia. Yemeni authorities said they were coordinating with international partners and maritime agencies to verify the tanker's condition and track its movements.

Naval vessels, including a Yemeni coastguard boat, were reported heading toward the ship while aircraft conducted reconnaissance flights overhead.

Regional context The seizure follows a resurgence in Somali piracy after more than a decade of relative calm. The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, carrying 12 to 15 percent of global trade by value and about 30 percent of container traffic each year.

Between 2005 and 2012, Somali pirates were blamed for more than 1,000 attacks that resulted in roughly $400 million in ransom payments. The shipping industry lifted its high-risk designation for the Indian Ocean in 2023. Since April, the French navy's Mica Center has recorded 18 piracy incidents and hijackings, with at least three other vessels still held for ransom.