Armed gang tries to board tanker off Yemen

Panama-flagged ship conducted evasive manoeuvres to deter attack

Yemeni soldiers patrol the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.Photo: Scanpix

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A product tanker has taken evasive action to deter a boarding by pirates off Yemen.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, 50 nautical miles (93 km) south-east of Al-Shihr, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported.

The master of the vessel reported being approached by a skiff carrying five armed persons who appeared to be attempting to board.

He conducted evasive manoeuvres and altered course away from the smaller boat.

The tanker then proceeded to its next port of call, with no damage reported and seafarers safe on board.

“Authorities are investigating,” UKTMO said.

Ambrey Analytics added that there were no reports of the suspects opening fire on the Panama-flagged tanker.

The ship is not believed to have had a private armed security team on board.

Ambrey observed the ship transiting from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates to Aden, Yemen at nine knots with an estimated 6.7-metre freeboard at the time of the incident.

On Thursday, TradeWinds reported suspected pirates had significantly stepped up their activity in the Gulf of Aden: maritime security sources reported three attacks on vessels within 72 hours.

On Wednesday, close to the Yemeni coast, armed guards on an unidentified merchant ship exchanged gunfire with an attacking skiff that had approached to within four metres.

Last Monday, a tanker was targeted with a rocket-propelled grenade, 111 nautical miles south-east of Aden.

Even though neither vessel was boarded, the incidents provide further evidence of an escalation of the piracy threat in the area.

TradeWinds had already reported a third attack last Monday, when armed persons on a small skiff attempted to board a container ship in the Gulf of Aden.

This followed a gunfire exchange in the same area on 10 June, between attackers on a skiff and armed guards on a different merchant ship.

Five attempted boardings were reported on 23 May alone, when multiple skiffs approached their targets but turned tail under the threat of Italian, Japanese and Indian warships nearby.

Three vessels have already been hijacked in the area in April and May — two tankers, the 3,100-dwt Honour 25 and 3,300-dwt Eureka (both built 2006), and the 8,500-dwt cement carrier Sward (built 1998).

A recent European Union naval advisory described a pattern emerging since November 2024, in which pirates assemble ad hoc, single out a vulnerable ship near the coast and attack from skiffs.

A bad example was set last year when a ransom was paid to free hostages on board the Chinese fishing vessel Liao Dong Yu 578, the advisory said.

Piracy Yemen Product tankers Ambrey Gulf of Aden

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