finance
Somali Pirates Hijack Oil Tanker Off Yemen Coast
Somali pirates hijacked the MT Eureka oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen's Shabwa coast, marking the second such incident in 10 days. The vessel, flagged under Togo, was boarded at 5 a.m. local time and is now sailing toward Somali waters. The hijacking follows a surge in piracy amid diverted naval focus on Houthi attacks.
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Yemeni coast guard said the MT Eureka oil tanker was hijacked off the Shabwa coast. The vessel, which flies the flag of Togo, was boarded at around 5 a.m. local time and was being directed toward Somalia, according to security officials and the Yemeni coast guard. The tanker was taken in the Gulf of Aden near the port of Qana.
The pirates departed from a remote coastal area near Qandala in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, three security officials from Puntland told the BBC. The vessel remained in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia as of the latest reports and was expected to anchor in Somali waters. This is the fourth successful hijacking in the past two weeks.
It is the second oil tanker hijacking in the area within 10 days. On April 22 the Honor 25 was seized while carrying 18,500 barrels of oil bound for Mogadishu. In a separate incident on Friday, armed persons aboard a skiff approached a bulk carrier near Al-Mukalla, Yemen.
Those individuals originated from near the fishing town of Caluula, located 209 kilometers from the departure point of the MT Eureka hijackers.
Somali piracy had declined since 2011. The European Union Naval Force and Somali authorities have not yet issued statements on the latest hijacking. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported the approach near Al-Mukalla. The vessels’ operators have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government in available statements.
