Gunmen seize tanker off Yemen amid resurgence of Somali piracy
Aug 21, 2026
Sanaa [Yemen], August 21: A tanker has been boarded by six armed people who took control of the vessel off the coast of Yemen and diverted it towards Somalia, according to the United Kingdom Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.
UKMTO said on Thursday that it had received a report of an incident 136 nautical miles (252km) east of Yemen's Al Mukalla, where the Seamull tanker, also known as SIBU 1, broadcast a distress call that it was being approached by an unauthorised vessel while travelling westwards in the Gulf of Aden.
The SIBU 1 has been seized in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Source: Qatar Tribune
