Hijacked Oil Tanker En Route to Somalia Off Somali Coast

Yemen’s Coast Guard Reports Hijacking of Oil Tanker Off Somali Coast

A Yemeni oil tanker, the M/T Eureka, was hijacked off the coast of Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen on Saturday. The vessel was seized by armed assailants who then steered it towards the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast.

According to a statement from the Yemeni Coast Guard, the crew’s fate remains unknown as the authorities work with international partners and relevant authorities to recover the tanker. The coast guard noted that its capabilities are limited due to Yemen’s economic situation.

The incident is part of a recent surge in pirate activity off the Somali coast, which has seen at least four hijackings in recent weeks. Ship hijackings have become more frequent since the conflict in Iran began in February.

The UKMTO has raised the piracy threat level along the Somali coast to “substantial” and warned vessels to exercise caution when transiting the area. The European Union’s naval forces patrolling the region attribute the rise in piracy to a “window of opportunity” created by the conflict.

In 2011, more than 200 attacks were recorded off the Somali coast, with the World Bank estimating that piracy was costing the global economy up to $18 billion per year at its peak. However, incidents began to decline after an international naval coalition suppressed the threat in 2014. The recent surge in pirate activity has raised concerns about the impact of anti-piracy patrols being redirected to other regions.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Yemeni Coast Guard and relevant authorities.

Source: Al Jazeera