Suspected Somali pirates seize tanker near Yemen amid wave of hijackings

The seizure of the Asana is the latest in a fast-growing wave of piracy sweeping the Gulf of AdenAn oil tanker has been seized off the coast of Yemen, in an attack the country’s coastguard says was carried out by Somali pirates. It is the latest in a series of hijackings to re-emerge in the region this year.The Yemeni coastguard said the Asana was seized about 26 nautical miles (48km) off Hadramawt province on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why is piracy rising off Somalia again — and is the Iran war responsible?list 2 of 3Suspected pirates steer cargo vessel towards Somalialist 3 of 3Somali pirates abandon hijacked UAE dhow due to dwindling suppliesend of listThe UK’s maritime security agency, UKMTO, citing military sources, said there was an “illegal boarding” 65 nautical miles (120km) south of the port of Mukalla. It said the vessel was boarded by “unauthorised personnel”.UKMTO urged vessels in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity, adding that the incident remained under investigation.Early reports indicated a single person had been spotted near the vessel’s bridge and the tanker was moving slowly southeast towards Somalia.Yemeni authorities said they were coordinating with international partners and maritime agencies in the area to verify the tanker’s condition and track its movements.Naval vessels, including a Yemeni coastguard boat, were reported heading towards the ship, while aircraft flew reconnaissance sorties overhead.The attack follows a marked resurgence in Somali piracy, which had been largely dormant for more than a decade until this year.The Asana was seized in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.The Gulf of Aden feeds into the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the fastest maritime link between Asia and Europe. Roughly 12 to 15 percent of global trade by value passes through the canal each year, along with about 30 percent of the world’s container traffic.Between 2005 and 2012, Somali pirates were blamed for more than 1,000 attacks, worth approximately $400 million in ransom payments, prompting an international crackdown that all but ended hijackings by 2013.