Somali pirates hijack Tanzania-flagged tanker in Gulf of Aden

Suspected Somali pirates hijacked MT ASANA, a Tanzanian-flagged chemical and oil-products tanker, after it left Mukalla, Yemen, and the ship was later moved toward Somalia’s northeastern Bari region. UKMTO said a vessel was boarded by unauthorized personnel in the Gulf of Aden area, and one report put the tanker’s speed at about 2 knots, an unusually slow pace that fit an apparent distress signal.

The seizure lands in a corridor that underpins global shipping. The Gulf of Aden links the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, giving tankers and cargo ships a faster route between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. A successful hijacking there can quickly ripple through freight markets as carriers review whether to keep transiting the corridor, insurers reassess war-risk pricing and crews face sharper security checks before entering the waterway.

The attack also revives memories of the pirate wave that once made Somalia one of the world’s most dangerous maritime flashpoints. That threat had eased as naval patrols, armed guards on some vessels, rerouted traffic and international coordination made boarding more difficult. Now the numbers point in the other direction: South24 Center for News & Studies said dozens of attacks and attempted attacks have been recorded over the past three months in the Gulf of Aden, while a U.S. maritime-security advisory covering the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean said there had been seven reported boarding or hijacking incidents since November 2023.

The advisory also warned that pirates have used fishing vessels as motherships, a tactic that complicates patrol planning because ordinary-looking boats can conceal armed crews and extend their reach. Global maritime piracy and armed robbery incidents rose to 137 documented cases in 2025, up from 116 in 2024, a reminder that the risk has not vanished even as attention has often shifted to other threats in the Red Sea region.

UKMTO, which says it has operated for more than 25 years as a maritime-security information center, will remain central to the response as shippers and navies track the tanker’s movements and judge whether this seizure marks a one-off breach or the start of a wider resurgence along the Horn of Africa.