Tanker seized by armed men off Yemen and diverted toward Somalia
A tanker was boarded by six armed men off the coast of Yemen and taken under control before being diverted toward Somalia, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Thursday.
UKMTO initially reported an incident 136 nautical miles east of Mukalla, Yemen, in the Gulf of Aden, Reuters reported.
The tanker had been traveling west when it reported being approached by an unauthorized vessel.
UKMTO later said six armed people had boarded the tanker and taken control of the vessel, which was then diverted toward Somalia.
The agency did not provide further details about the identities or motives of the armed men and did not say whether the tanker or its crew were safe.
The incident comes amid heightened security risks for commercial shipping in waters around Yemen, the Gulf of Aden and the wider Red Sea region.
The Gulf of Aden is a major international shipping route connecting the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, making security incidents in the area a significant concern for global trade.
Authorities and maritime operators are closely monitoring the situation as efforts continue to establish what happened to the vessel and its crew.