Key facts
- A tanker was boarded by six armed individuals off the coast of Yemen.
- The vessel was diverted towards Somalia.
- The incident occurred 136 nautical miles east of Yemen's Mukalla in the Gulf of Aden.
- The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported the incident.
- The tanker is believed to have been boarded by Somali pirates.
- The tanker has no armed security team on board.
A tanker was boarded by six armed individuals off the coast of Yemen and diverted towards Somalia, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported. The incident occurred 136 nautical miles east of Yemen's Mukalla in the Gulf of Aden, where the vessel was traveling west.
UKMTO stated that the tanker reported being approached by an unauthorized vessel. Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, believes Somali pirates boarded the tanker, noting that the vessel does not have an armed security team on board. A Korean naval vessel was reportedly en route to assist the tanker, which had issued a distress call.
The data tracker Maritime Traffic indicated that the Tanzania-flagged oil and chemical tanker, identified as Asana, was heading towards Bosaso, Somalia. This incident underscores a resurgence of piracy and armed boarding attempts in the Gulf of Aden region, with maritime authorities documenting multiple such events in recent months.