DUBAI: Unidentified individuals illegally boarded a tanker in the Gulf of Aden, maritime security agencies reported on Friday, with Yemen’s coast guard saying it was captured by Somali pirates.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the incident took place 65 nautical miles south of Mukalla, a major city on Yemen’s south coast.

“Military authorities have reported that the vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel whilst transiting east in the Gulf of Aden,” the agency posted on X.

Yemen’s coast guard said the ship, a chemical tanker named the Asana, was captured by “a group of Somali pirates” and was heading southeast, towards Somalia.

Ambrey, a maritime security company, said the Tanzania-flagged ship did not have an armed security team aboard, and added that a South Korean navy “vessel was en route to the tanker to provide assistance”.

The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO), the information service for the EU’s anti-piracy naval mission in the area, said it was “investigating the incident and monitoring the vessel”.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2026