Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Regional Maritime Information Sharing Center of the General Authority for Maritime Affairs in Aden stated that unauthorized armed men have taken control of a chemical and petroleum products tanker while it was sailing in the Gulf of Aden, in an incident it described as carrying “clear indications” of a maritime piracy operation aimed at detaining the ship and its crew to demand a ransom.
The Center explained, in a statement, that the tanker MT ASANA, which flies the flag of Tanzania and carries the IMO number 9035838, was attacked while sailing approximately 65 nautical miles south of the city of Al Mukalla in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden, as it was crossing the international shipping lane heading east.
It added that the attack was carried out after armed men, suspected of belonging to a maritime piracy group, boarded the vessel and managed to establish full control over it, while the tanker issued a distress call immediately following the incident.
The Center noted that ship tracking data showed a sharp change in the tanker’s course after it was seized, heading towards the Somali coasts, specifically towards the Port of Bosaso in the Puntland region, which reinforces the hypothesis of it being subjected to a hijacking operation.
It mentioned that preliminary information indicates the absence of an armed protection team on board the ship at the time of the attack, making it more vulnerable to targeting in an area that is still classified among high-risk maritime corridors.
The Center confirmed that the tanker remains under the control of the armed men, while regional and international efforts continue through maritime and intelligence channels to determine the status of the crew members and verify their safety, with no official information released so far regarding their number or nationalities.
