Hijacked Tanker Off Yemen Deepens Fears of Somali Piracy Resurgence

European naval forces have confirmed the hijacking of an oil tanker off Yemen after armed individuals reportedly boarded the vessel near Qana Port before steering it toward the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast, marking the latest sign that piracy threats in the western Indian Ocean are rapidly escalating again.

According to a new alert issued Thursday by the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean, armed individuals boarded the tanker EUREKA (IMO: 1022823) at approximately 0500 UTC on May 2 while the vessel was anchored off Qana Port in Yemen’s Shabwa province.

The advisory said the vessel was subsequently taken under the control of the attackers and is now believed to be underway toward waters off Somalia.

Operation ATALANTA, the European Union’s counter-piracy naval mission, later confirmed the hijacking and said the incident remains ongoing.

“Operation ATALANTA assets have confirmed the hijacking of tanker vessel EUREKA,” the updated MSCIO alert stated, adding that the vessel was last located near position 09°50’N 050°54’E.

Yemeni coast guard officials had earlier reported the incident to Reuters on May 2, saying unidentified armed men seized the tanker before redirecting it toward Somali waters. Authorities said at the time they were attempting to track the vessel and ensure the safety of the crew.

The hijacking appears to reinforce warnings issued by maritime security experts last week that piracy networks were exploiting shifting naval priorities tied to the ongoing Middle East security crisis.

In a May 1 analysis, gCaptain reported that security officials were increasingly concerned pirate groups were rebuilding capability and expanding operations farther offshore as international naval resources concentrated on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman amid the ongoing U.S.–Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz security crisis.

An update from the U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the piracy risk of along the Somali coast and Somali basin remains severe. “Three merchant vessels are held by Somali pirates, and a hijacked dhow is being used as a pirate mothership to support extended-range PAG operations,” JMIC’s latest update said, with several recent suspicious approaches underlining continued pirate activity.

“Pirate Action Group activity is assessed as highly likely across both the Somali Coast and Somali Basin. Weather conditions remain conducive for small?boat operations,” JMIC said.

Recent incidents have included confirmed hijackings, suspicious approaches, and apparent mothership-style operations extending hundreds of nautical miles from the Somali coast.

Security analysts say the distances involved are particularly concerning because they suggest pirate groups are once again operating well beyond coastal waters using larger support vessels to expand their reach across major commercial shipping lanes.

The latest MSCIO advisory warned vessels operating within 150 nautical miles of the Somali coast between Mogadishu and Hafun to maintain heightened vigilance and strictly adhere to BMP-MS anti-piracy guidance.

The incident also comes as commercial shipping continues to navigate overlapping security crises stretching from the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz to the broader western Indian Ocean.

The re-emergence of Somali piracy adds another layer of uncertainty for shipowners already grappling with war-risk premiums, rerouted trade flows, elevated insurance costs, and heightened geopolitical tensions across key global shipping corridors.

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