Somali pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden and are steering it toward Somalia, according to multiple Somali security officials who spoke with the BBC. This marks the second oil tanker hijacking in the area within 10 days, highlighting a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the region.

The Yemeni coastguard earlier confirmed that the MT Eureka had been hijacked and was heading toward Somalia. Three separate security officials from the semi-autonomous Puntland region told the BBC that the pirates departed a remote coastal area near the seaside town of Qandala.

MT Eureka, sailing under the flag of Togo, was overrun by armed gunmen at 5:00 AM local time. The vessel is now navigating the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia and is expected to anchor in Somali waters in the coming hours.

In a separate incident, the UK Maritime Transportation Operation (UKMTO) reported on Friday that armed persons aboard a skiff approached a bulk carrier near Al-Mukala, Yemen. Security officials said those armed persons departed from the coastal town of Caluula (Alula), approximately 209km from where the MT Eureka hijackers set off.

The two incidents indicate that piracy is expanding across Somalia’s vast coastline — the longest in mainland Africa at 3,333km. Today’s hijacking is the fourth successful pirate seizure in just two weeks.

On April 22, Somali pirates hijacked the Honor 25, which was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil bound for Mogadishu. Somali piracy, which had been in decline since 2011, has surged again since late 2023, when Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. The attacks forced international navies to redirect resources to counter the Houthi threat, creating a security vacuum that armed groups on the Somali coast have exploited.

“The on-going crisis with the pirates is much worse than many realize. There are increasing movements of armed groups all over the coast,” a Puntland security official told the BBC.

Neither Somali authorities nor the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), which oversees anti-piracy operations in Somali waters, has yet addressed the latest hijacking. The resurgence of Somali piracy underscores the growing maritime security challenges in one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors.

Sources: BBC News