Six armed pirates seize a tanker off Yemen! - Milliyet

Milliyet AppUygulamayı AçWebWeb'de Devam Et ENSix armed pirates seize a tanker off Yemen!NewsSix Armed Pirates Seize A Tanker Off Yemen!Six armed pirates seize a tanker off Yemen!20.08.2026 - 16:50 | Last Updated: 20.08.2026 - 16:50

According to a statement issued by the European Union’s Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean (MSCI), a group of armed pirates hijacked a tanker in Yemeni territorial waters in the Gulf of Aden and forced it toward Somalia.

According to the maritime monitoring organization Vanguard, the tanker Seamull—also known as SIBU 1—sent a distress call while sailing 136 nautical miles east of Yemen’s Al-Mukalla port. The MSCIO stated, “According to reports, six armed individuals have boarded the vessel and are steering the tanker, which they have taken under their control, toward Somalia.”

Piracy was rampant off the Somali coast in the 2000s. The situation, which had escalated into a crisis, was brought under control in 2011—when piracy peaked—through the deployment of international naval forces and the implementation of new security measures for commercial vessels.

However, attacks have been on the rise again since April. In fact, five cargo ships are currently being held hostage. The most recent one was seized on Monday near the Somali coast.