Tanker hijacked in Gulf of Aden: Increase in piracy activities

According to the statement made by the Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean within the European Union, a group of armed pirates hijacked a tanker in the Yemeni territorial waters of the Gulf of Aden and directed it to Somalia.

According to maritime watchdog Vanguard, the tanker Seamull, also known as SIBU 1, made a distress call while sailing 136 nautical miles east of Yemen's Al-Mukella port. MSCIO, on the other hand, says, "According to reports, six armed individuals are on deck and are directing the tanker they have taken control of to Somalia."

Piracy activities were common off the coast of Somalia in the 2000s. When piracy reached its peak in 2011, this situation, which turned into a crisis, was brought under control with the deployment of international naval forces and new security measures for commercial ships.

However, attacks appear to have increased again since April. In fact, five cargo ships are currently being held hostage. The last of these was captured near the Somali coast on Monday.