Istanbul / Anadolu Agency

The British Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed on Saturday that a ship was subjected to a 'hijacking' on Friday while sailing east in the Gulf of Aden, 65 nautical miles south of the Yemeni city of Mukalla.

The agency said it 'received on Friday a report of an incident that occurred 65 nautical miles south of the Yemeni city of Mukalla (capital of Hadhramaut Governorate).'

It added that it was reported that 'the ship was boarded by individuals (unspecified) while sailing east in the Gulf of Aden.'

The agency indicated that later, it was informed that 'the vessel in question was directed to Somali territorial waters, and the incident was reclassified as a hijacking.'

It added that 'the relevant authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.'

On Friday, the Yemeni Coast Guard announced in a statement that it is following up on 'the incident of the seizure of the oil tanker (Asana), which occurred more than 26 nautical miles off the coast of Hadhramaut Governorate, after it was subjected to a piracy operation carried out by a group of Somali pirates.'

The statement did not reveal which entity the oil tanker belongs to, nor did any party claim responsibility for the incident.

On May 11, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed that an oil tanker carrying eight Egyptian sailors was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, days after Yemeni authorities announced a ship with 12 Egyptian and Indian sailors had been pirated.

Somalia's coastline witnessed widespread piracy activity between 2008 and 2018, before declining for years, only to re-emerge since late 2023, coinciding with rising security tensions in the region.

Apart from the two hijacking incidents, the Houthi group threatened on April 12 that it would escalate its military operations if the Israeli-American aggression on Iran resumes.

Fears are circulating that the Houthis may expand their involvement in the war with the resumption of aggression on Iran, which could lead to the closure or disruption of navigation in the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, especially with the tense navigation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz for the passage of oil and gas tankers.

On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that included a ceasefire, and began negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar to end the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran on February 28.

However, US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 the end of the ceasefire against a backdrop of renewed escalation, after Iran, a day earlier, attacked three ships while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they did not adhere to the navigation course it had set, to which Washington responded by launching attacks on sites inside Iran.