Security sources and informed local officials said on Sunday that an oil tanker flying the flag of Tanzania was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates off the coast of Yemen.
The commercial tanker has since been transferred to waters off the Bari region in northeastern Somalia, according to local officials.
The sources stated that the general carrier MT ASANA was seized on Friday after leaving Mukalla, Yemen. The ship is now detained off the coast of Kalula in the semi-autonomous state of Bari in the Puntland region.
According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly, the ship was hijacked by seven armed Somali pirates.
Public ship tracking data reviewed by The Associated Press showed the MT ASANA relaying its position on Friday as it moved slowly in the Gulf of Aden, listing Bosaso, Somalia, as its destination. The ship was traveling at about 2 knots, an unusually slow speed consistent with previous reports that it had sent a distress signal during the incident.
It was not immediately clear how many crew members were on board the tanker or whether anyone was injured. There was no immediate information available about the nationality of the crew.
The Puntland authorities did not comment publicly on the news of the hijacking, and there was no immediate statement from the ship’s owner or manager. International naval forces operating in the area also did not issue an immediate public update.
The kidnapping incident is the latest in a series of attacks attributed to Somali pirates, whose activities have resurfaced in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean after years of relative inactivity. Maritime security analysts have warned that continued maritime insecurity and a decline in international maritime patrols have contributed to the renewed threat.
Source: AFP
