US sanctioned tanker hijacked off Yemeni coast, diverted to Somalia

By Armand Liebenberg
Friday August 28, 2026

A Somali pirate skiff. Photo: Indian Navy

A tanker has been hijacked by armed men off the coast of Yemen and is being diverted towards Somalia in the latest incidence of Somali piracy, which appears to be making a strong resurgence.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed the tanker had been boarded by six-armed people and reportedly been diverted to Bosaso, Somalia.

The attack occurred at 08:25 UTC on 20 August, following what the UKMTO described as an incident 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen. According to the British maritime security monitoring organisation, the tanker, named Seamull, also identified as SIBU 1, “broadcast a distress call on VHF 16 that they have been approached by an unauthorised vessel whilst travelling west in the Gulf of Aden.”

“The tanker has been boarded by six-armed persons who are now in control of the vessel and redirecting to Somalia,” the UKMTO said, adding, “authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

The Eritrean-flagged tanker is reported to be managed by the UAE-based Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management and is subject to American sanctions following US accusations that the ship operates as part of Iran’s “shadow fleet” of vessels that are used to evade US sanctions on the country.

The vessel is thought to regularly carry Iranian oil or petroleum products and is known to have paid several visits to Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen.

According to ABC News (US), the Seamull is thought to have had approximately 20 crew members on board at the time of the incident, with the complement including 16 Indian, one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi national.

UKMTO is yet to provide any additional details on the status of the Seamull’s crew or any further updates regarding the status of the incident.

The Seamull’s AIS (Automatic Identification System) destination remains “PIRATE ONBOARD HEL”.

While maritime piracy in the Western Indian Ocean had been on the decline in recent years following persistent international efforts, this latest incident brings the total number of vessels seized in the region to six this year, with the latest occurring just days after a similar attack led to the hijacking of a Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel, the MV Lutuf, off the Somali coast on 17 August.

Since April 2026, at least four other commercial vessels have been confirmed to have been seized in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden. This includes a Palau-flagged tanker, Honour 25 (21 April 2026); a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship, Sward (26 April); a Togo-flagged tanker, Eureka (2 May); and a Tanzania-flagged tanker, Asana (17 July).

The latest spate of attacks comes as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and its proxies continues to place increased strain on regional and international maritime forces operating in the region, as maritime traffic has increased substantially in the Western Indian Ocean following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the increased risk of crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

In total, there have been at least 13 reported attacks on vessels off the Somali coast or in the Gulf of Aden this year, compared to only five in 2025, according to a Reuters report. While still relatively little when compared to the height of the Somali piracy crisis between 2008 and 2014, this substantial increase in incidents has prompted significant concern as it risks further damaging already fragile global shipping and supply lines.

This resurgent piracy threat has already prompted a regional response, with the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA) Steering Committee electing to explore the establishment of a new Combined DCoC Task Force in late July and early August 2026.

This new task force is understood to be based in large part on West Africa’s Yaoundé Code of Conduct, where regional states have made significant progress in subduing the threat of maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea over recent years, including through the establishment and operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Task Force earlier this year.

Following the DCoC/JA Steering Committee’s recommendation, the DCoC National Focal Points endorsed the proposal on 5 August and tasked Working Group 3 on Operational Coordination and Cooperation at Sea with leading development of the newly proposed regional force.

While the DCoC/JA continues its efforts to strengthen regional maritime and anti-piracy capabilities, this latest incident serves as a reminder of the urgency needed to address the region’s growing maritime security challenges.

Somali piracy had been largely suppressed for more than a decade following the deployment of international naval forces and the widespread adoption of shipboard anti-piracy measures. The emergence of several simultaneous hijackings this year suggests that those gains can no longer be taken for granted.

With the latest tanker now reportedly being taken towards Somalia, the western Indian Ocean is once again becoming a major concern for commercial shipping and maritime security authorities.