A product tanker was reportedly hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a distress call from the tanker, which indicated that an unauthorized vessel had approached it during its westbound transit. The condition of the crew remains unknown, as the information was sourced from military authorities.
UKMTO later confirmed that six armed individuals boarded the tanker, taking control and redirecting it toward Somalia. Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the 2001-built Seamull, also known as Sibu 1. The Equasis database flagged the 32,000 dwt tanker incorrectly as registered in Eritrea. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had previously sanctioned the ship, then flagged in Palau, in December 2025 for transporting Iranian petroleum products.
This incident follows the recent hijacking of the general cargo ship Lutuf on August 17 off the Somali coast, where eight armed pirates were involved. In an advisory, JMIC elaborated on the Lutuf incident, stating that the crew attempted to secure themselves in a citadel but were ultimately overpowered and moved to the bridge by the attackers, who were armed with AK-47s. Currently, five vessels are reported to be held in the Somali region, with JMIC maintaining a moderate threat assessment for potential attacks in the area.
