OFF YEMEN: A Somali piracy surge has seen two vessels hijacked within four days, including the Eritrean-flagged oil tanker SIBU 1 on Thursday.
Puntland Maritime Police official Col. Mohamed Jama said seven armed pirates boarded the tanker about 130 miles off Yemen. They then diverted the vessel toward Somali waters.
The condition of its 20-member crew remained unknown, Jama said. Earlier, pirates seized a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship carrying weapons off Puntland, according to Galmadug ports official Abshir Hashi Ali.
Hashi said Somali pirates were holding six ships in total, including the two seized this week. Overall, he said more than 100 crew members were being held hostage across those vessels.
TankerTrackers.com said SIBU 1 was likely linked to Iran’s shadow fleet. The monitoring company said the tanker had regularly carried fuel to Ras Isa, a Houthi-controlled oil terminal in Yemen.
Read: Pirates hijack Indian vessel off coast of Somalia
Meanwhile, the Centre for Maritime Security recorded more than 17 piracy-related incidents in Somali waters and the Gulf of Aden during the first five months of 2026.
Read: Indian Navy Thwarts Somali Pirate Attacks, Rescues 19 Pakistanis
Ian Ralby, president of maritime-governance group Auxilium Worldwide, said the attacks were occurring amid a wider regional maritime-security crisis.
Fighting and blockades in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz have also stretched security attention across major shipping routes.
