Somali pirates have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, the BBC reports, citing several Somali security officials, according to UNN.
Details
Earlier, the Yemen Coast Guard reported that the tanker MT Eureka had been hijacked and was heading toward Somalia. Sources said it was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, near the port of Qana.
According to three independent security officials from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland who spoke to the publication, the pirates left a remote coastal area near the seaside town of Kandala, located on the shores of the Gulf of Aden.
This is the second seizure of an oil tanker in the area in 10 days, following the hijacking of the tanker Honor 25 by Somali pirates on April 22.
The tanker Honor 25 was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil destined for Mogadishu.
The vessel MT Eureka, which was sailing under the flag of the West African nation of Togo, was seized by militants this morning at 5:00 AM local time, a security official said.
The vessel is currently in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia and is expected to anchor in Somali waters in the near future.
In another incident, as reported on Friday by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), "armed individuals" in a "skiff" approached a bulk carrier near Al Mukalla, Yemen.
According to three separate security officials, these armed individuals left a remote coastal area near the fishing town of Caluula (Alula). Caluula is 209 km from the location where the hijackers set off to seize the MT Eureka.
These two separate incidents indicate an expansion of piracy along Somalia's vast coastline, which is the longest in mainland Africa at 3,333 km.
Today's vessel seizure marks the fourth successful pirate hijacking in two weeks.
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