Oil Tanker Hijacked off Yemen, Heading Toward Somalia
Daniel Tari
Yemen's coast guard said on May 24 it was trying to recover an oil tanker hijacked off Shabwa province, now sailing toward Somalia. The attack is at least the fourth near Somalia in recent weeks. Piracy has increased as naval forces are distracted by the Iran war.
On May 24, Yemen's coast guard announced it was attempting to recover the oil tanker 'M/T Eureka,' which had been seized by armed gunmen. The incident occurred off the coast of Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen. After taking control, the hijackers steered the vessel toward the Gulf of Aden, heading for the Somali coast.
According to Yemeni officials, the attack is at least the fourth in the vicinity of Somalia in the past few weeks. Piracy activity in the region has increased, believed to be a response to the war in Iran. Officials assess that pirates have grown bolder as naval forces patrolling the Red Sea are distracted by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the rerouting of civilian shipping lanes.
The coast guard said it is cooperating with international partners and relevant authorities in the Gulf of Aden to recover the vessel and ensure the safety of the crew, whose fate remains unknown. However, they warned their capacity is limited due to Yemen's difficult economic situation.
Ship hijackings off the Somali coast have become more frequent since the United States and Israel began their war with Iran in February. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has raised the piracy threat level along the Somali coast to 'significant,' advising ships to 'transit with caution.' European Union (EU) naval forces patrolling the region believe the Iran war has created a 'window of opportunity' for pirate groups.
On April 21, an oil tanker carrying approximately 18,000 barrels of oil was hijacked near the Somali coast. Within the next five days, two other ships were also seized. From the early to mid-2000s, the Somali coast was the world's worst region for piracy. The World Bank estimated that at its peak, piracy cost the global economy up to $18 billion annually. In 2011 alone, more than 200 attacks were recorded.
An international naval coalition later suppressed the threat, reducing attacks to near zero by 2014. However, incidents began rising again from 2023, with some analysts attributing this to anti-piracy patrols being diverted to the Red Sea to counter threats from Houthi forces targeting ships transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The Houthis say their attacks are a response to the oppression of Palestinians.
