In brief
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warned that a tanker named MT Astana was boarded by an alleged Somali pirate crew 65 nautical miles off Yemen, just a few weeks after a similar incident in May. The tanker, flagged under Tanzania, had been bound for Bosaso, Puntland. Security officials from Somalia’s Puntland region identified the attackers as Somali nationals and said they had departed from a remote port near Garacad. This event underscores a new wave of piracy, with three separate hijackings this year, a sharp contrast to the near disappearance of such incidents three years ago after joint naval operations. Shipping convoys are now advised to exercise greater caution when transiting the Gulf of Aden.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has confirmed that a tanker named MT Astana was boarded by an alleged Somali pirate crew 65 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. The vessel, operating under a Tanzanian flag and en route to Bosaso, Puntland, was seized by seven gunmen who departed from the port town of Garacad, Puntland.
This incident follows a previous hijacking in May when the MT Eureka was seized near the port of Qana, and marks the second such event in the Gulf of Aden in the past three months. Security forces in Somalia’s semi‑autonomous Puntland region identified the attack as a Somali operation.
The Gulf of Aden remains lightly protected compared to the heavily patrolled Indian Ocean, and the recent attacks underline a regrowth of piracy activity. Shipping lanes are now being advised to transits with caution.
To view the location where the hijack occurred, see the following map.
Read the original BBC News article on this incident and other maritime security updates: BBC News.
