Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen on Friday, according to multiple security officials in the semi-autonomous Puntland region. The vessel, MT Eureka, was taken near the port of Qana in the Gulf of Aden and is now heading toward Somali waters, where it is expected to anchor in the coming hours.
The MT Eureka, sailing under the flag of Togo, was overtaken by armed gunmen at around 5:00 AM local time (03:00 BST). Security officials told the BBC that the pirates departed from a remote coastal area near Qandala, a town along the Gulf of Aden. This incident marks the fourth successful pirate hijacking in two weeks, following the capture of the Honor 25 on April 22, which was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil bound for Mogadishu.
In a separate but related incident, the United Kingdom Maritime Transportation Operation (UKMTO) reported on Friday that armed individuals on a skiff approached a bulk carrier near Al-Mukala, Yemen. Those gunmen were from the fishing town of Caluula, about 209 kilometers (130 miles) from the departure point of the MT Eureka hijackers.
Somali piracy, which had declined since 2011, has resurged since late 2023, when Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. The escalation forced international navies to shift focus, leaving Somali coastlines vulnerable. A security official from Puntland warned, "The on-going crisis with pirates is much worse than many realize. There are increasing movements of armed groups all over the coast."
Somali authorities and the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), responsible for anti-piracy operations, have yet to comment on the latest hijacking.