Somali Pirates Seize 20-Crew Eritrean Tanker Off Yemen as 6th Vessel Hijacked Since April
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 22
Somali Pirates Seize 20-Crew Eritrean Tanker Off Yemen as 6th Vessel Hijacked Since April
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 22
Summary
Six armed pirates seized the Eritrean-flagged oil products tanker M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday 136 nautical miles east of al-Mukalla, Yemen, and steered it toward Somalia’s Puntland coast.
The tanker carried 20 crew members—16 Indians plus Syrian, Sudanese, Iraqi and one unidentified national—and is managed by a UAE-based company; the vessel was sanctioned by the U.S. last year over alleged links to Iran’s shadow fleet.
The hijacking came three days after pirates captured the cargo ship Lutuf and marked the sixth commercial vessel seized by Somali pirates since April 21 across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean.
Pirate attacks are spreading farther from Somalia’s shore, including off Yemen, while the International Maritime Bureau logged 38 global piracy incidents in the first half of 2026 and said Somali pirates accounted for 94% of crew taken hostage.
Puntland said forces beyond its control were driving the renewed piracy, said it had deployed coastal security units, and condemned unverified airstrikes near Garacad where hijacked ships were reportedly being held.