Yemen has reportedly hijacked an oil tanker bound for Somalia Shipping News

Officials say the pirates have become more emboldened as naval forces operating in the Red Sea region are hampered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the diversion of civilian shipping routes.

Yemen’s coastal police say they are trying to recover an oil tanker that was hijacked off the coast and is heading to Somalia.

The “M/T Eureka” was seized in Yemen’s southeastern province of Shabwa when terrorists boarded and took control of the ship, the coast guard said on Saturday. The hijackers then drove the tanker to the Gulf of Aden towards the coast of Somalia.

The attack is the fourth to take place near Somalia recent weeksand the activities of bandits in the region are increasing in the military activities in Iran. Officials say the pirates have become more emboldened as naval forces operating in the Red Sea region are hampered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the diversion of civilian shipping routes.

The Coast Guard said it is working with international partners and the relevant authorities in the Gulf of Aden to recover the ship and ensure the safety of the crew, whose fate is unknown.

It warned, however, that its potential is limited due to the crisis in Yemen economic situation.

‘Windows of opportunity’

The hijacking of ships off the coast of Somalia has increased since the US and Israel began their war on Iran in February.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has raised the level of piracy threats off the Somali coast to “high” and warned ships to “travel with caution”.

European Union naval forces patrolling the region said Iran’s war had given terrorist groups an “opportunity”.

A tanker carrying about 18,000 barrels of oil was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on April 21. Over the next five days, two more vessels were hijacked.

Somalia’s coast was the world’s worst-hit region in the early to mid-2000s. The World Bank said that at its peak, human trafficking cost the world economy $18 billion a year.

More than 200 attacks were recorded in 2011 alone, according to EU naval data.

An international maritime treaty eventually curbed the threat, reducing attacks to zero by 2014.

However, events began to rise again in 2023, which some experts say anti-piracy patrols were sent to the Red Sea to counter threats by Houthi forces targeting ships in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis said their attack was in response to the persecution of Palestinians.