Yemen says gunmen seize oil tanker, heading to Somalia waters

Cairo (dpa) – Armed men have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen and are allegedly heading it towards Somali waters, the Yemeni coast guard said on Saturday.

The tanker “M/T Eureka” was seized off Yemen’s southeastern coast after armed attackers boarded and took control of the vessel, the coast guard said in an online statement.

The hijackers then steered the tanker towards the Gulf of Aden towards the Somali coast, the coast guard added.

After receiving the report on the hijacking earlier Saturday, the coast guard said it deployed two patrol boats from Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, as well as smaller patrol boats from the Shabwah region, to search and track the tanker.

He said the operation was being carried out despite limited resources and “exceptional circumstances” in the country.

The coast guard added that the location of the tanker had been identified. Efforts are underway to recover the vessel and ensure the safety of its crew, according to the statement.

Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating power struggle since 2014 between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who control large swaths of territory in the north, including the capital Sanaa.