Tanzanian-flagged tanker from Yemen hijacked by suspected Somali pirates

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Tanzanian-flagged tanker was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates off Yemen’s coast, security sources and local officials familiar with the incident said Sunday.

The commercial tanker has since been moved to waters off Somalia’s northeastern Bari region, according local officials.

The MT ASANA, a general tanker, was seized on Friday after departing from Mukalla, Yemen, according to the sources. The vessel is now being held off the coast of Caluula in the semiautonomous state of Puntland’s Bari region.

According to 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 vessel-tracking data reviewed by The Associated Press showed the MT ASANA transmitting its position on Friday as it moved slowly in the Gulf of Aden, listing Bosaso, Somalia, as its destination. The vessel was traveling at about 2 knots, an unusually slow speed consistent with earlier reports that it had transmitted a distress signal during the incident.

It was not immediately clear how many crew members were aboard the tanker or whether anyone had been injured. There was no immediate information on the nationality of the crew.

Puntland authorities have not publicly commented on the reported hijacking, and there was no immediate statement from the vessel’s owner or manager. International naval forces operating in the region have also not issued an immediate public update.

The hijacking 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 persistent maritime insecurity and reduced international naval patrols have contributed to the renewed threat.