Yemeni Coast Guard: Gunmen seize oil tanker off Shabwa and steer it toward Somali shores

The Yemeni Coast Guard reported a serious maritime incident off the country’s southeastern coast, involving the seizure of a foreign oil tanker while it was sailing in the waters of the Gulf of Aden.

In an official statement, it said the oil tanker "Eureka," flying the Togolese flag, was sailing off the coast of Shabwa province when armed men boarded it and took control by force, before changing its course toward open waters outside the Yemeni zone.

The statement noted that the tanker is currently being driven through the Gulf of Aden toward the Somali coast, in what is considered a notable maritime security development in the region, amid ongoing tensions affecting international shipping lanes in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.