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Armed Gunmen Hijack Commercial Oil Tanker Off Yemen Coast in Gulf of Aden
Just the facts
Six armed individuals boarded and took control of the commercial oil tanker Seamull, also registered as SIBU 1, while it transited west through the Gulf of Aden. According to reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, the tanker issued a distress signal approximately 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, after an unauthorized vessel approached. The armed group seized operational control of the vessel and redirected its navigation toward the coast of Somalia. Maritime authorities and regional naval monitoring agencies initiated official investigations into the hijacking. The attack occurs amid a renewed surge in Somali piracy across critical international shipping lanes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Why this is news
Six armed individuals boarded and seized control of the commercial oil tanker Seamull off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed that the vessel was forcibly redirected toward Somalia.
Developments timeline
- The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that the hijacked commercial oil tanker was diverted towards Somalia after being boarded by armed individuals off the coast of Yemen.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.