Somali Pirates Hijack Tanker Off Yemen, Second Attack in Three Months

Mon Sep 14 2026 15:20:36 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A Tanzanian‑flagged tanker was seized by Somali pirates 65 nautical miles off Yemen, marking the second hijacking in the Gulf of Aden this month.

Recent piracy has returned to the Gulf of Aden with a tanker named MT Asana boarded by seven gunmen near Yemen. The attack, reported by the UK Maritime Trade Organisation and Somali Puntland officials, follows a previous seizure of the MT Eureka in May. The incident highlights the growing danger for vessels transiting the lightly‑patrolled Gulf of Aden, especially following the decline in anti‑piracy operations that had ended piracy three years ago. The hijack underscores the urgent need for renewed maritime security measures in the region.

Somali Pirates Hijack Tanker Off Yemen, Second Attack in Three Months

A Tanzanian‑flagged tanker, the MT Asana, was boarded by seven gunmen near Yemen’s coast, 65 nautical miles east of the port of Bosaso. The incident, first announced by the UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) and confirmed by security officials from Somalia’s semi‑autonomous Puntland region, represents the second hijacking in the Gulf of Aden this month.

Earlier, the MT Eureka was seized near Yemen’s port of Qana in May, and two ships were boarded by pirates in the Indian Ocean in April. These recurrences are a sign that piracy is re‑emerging in a corridor that was largely free of attacks following a multinational security patrol that had been effective three years ago.

Puntland’s officials said the hijackers travelled from a remote area near the port town of Garacad before heading to the Gulf of Aden. They argue that the gulf’s lighter naval presence compared to the Indian Ocean’s EU naval patrols may explain the new focus of pirate activity.

The vessel was en route to Bosaso when the boarding occurred, and security authorities advised other vessels to transit with heightened caution. The incident underlines the fragile nature of maritime security in the region and the possible need for increased patrols.

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