A tanker hijacking off Yemen has been reported, with the ship reportedly heading toward Somalia amid renewed piracy activity.
A sudden hijacking off Yemen’s coast has reportedly sent an oil tanker toward Somalia, raising fresh concerns as armed groups remain active in the region.
Misryoum reports that Somali pirates seized the oil tanker MT Eureka, with the Yemeni coastguard earlier describing the incident and saying the vessel was heading for Somalia.. According to security officials, the takeover happened in the Gulf of Aden near the port of Qana, after the ship was overrun in the early hours.
The MT Eureka is now reportedly sailing in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia, and is expected to anchor in Somali waters in the coming hours, Misryoum reports.
This matters because hijackings like this disrupt shipping routes and can quickly escalate risk for crews in a stretch of water that has already seen repeated incidents.
Misryoum also reports that the pirates set off from a remote coastal area near Qandala, a town on the Gulf of Aden, according to multiple officials from Puntland. The incident is being described as the second hijacking of an oil tanker in the area within about ten days.
In that earlier case, Misryoum says the oil tanker Honor 25 was hijacked on April 22 while carrying 18,500 barrels of oil bound for Mogadishu. The new seizure underscores how quickly incidents can repeat when security coverage is uneven.
Meanwhile, Misryoum reports a separate development near Al-Mukala, Yemen: “armed persons” approached a bulk carrier on a “skiff,” and then withdrew from a remote coastal area linked to Caluula (Alula).. Officials described the distance between the departure points for the two incidents as substantial, suggesting activity is not confined to one small area.
Misryoum notes that Somali piracy has surged again after a period of decline, with attacks in and around the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea affecting how international navies operate. As attention is pulled toward other threats at sea, armed groups on the Somali coast appear to have gained room to act.
In this context, the reported increase in movements along the coastline is seen as a warning sign for the months ahead, even as Somali authorities and regional naval operations have yet to respond to the latest hijacking.
For crews and companies, the practical impact is immediate: more uncertainty on routes, higher operational risk, and a need for tighter safeguards across a coastline that remains vast and difficult to police consistently.