A new hijacking attributed to Somali pirates has underscored a sharp resurgence of maritime banditry across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean, with an Eritrean-flagged oil tanker becoming the sixth commercial vessel seized since mid-April, a senior Somali maritime security official has confirmed to the Associated Press.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident, the official confirmed that six armed pirates boarded the M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday. The hijacking took place roughly 136 nautical miles, or 252 kilometers, east of Yemen’s coastal city of al-Mukalla, after which the hijacked tanker was steered toward the coast of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.
The hijacked tanker, operated by UAE-based Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management, already faced U.S. Treasury Department sanctions imposed last year. The vessel was designated over allegations it forms part of an Iranian “shadow fleet” — a network of unregistered or obscurely owned vessels used to ship Iranian petroleum products in violation of American trade restrictions.
Aboard the Sibu 1 at the time of the seizure were 20 crew members, hailing from a range of nations: 16 Indian nationals, one Syrian, one Sudanese, one Iraqi, and one crew member whose nationality has not yet been confirmed. Details of the tanker’s last port of departure and intended final destination remain unclear as of Friday.
This hijacking comes just three days after Somali pirates seized another commercial vessel, the Cameroon-flagged general cargo ship Lutuf, off Somalia’s northern coast. Maritime tracking data shows the Lutuf carried 10 people on board, including six Indian crew, one Turkish national, one Georgian national, and two Serbian armed security guards.
The Sibu 1 hijacking fits a clear pattern of escalating pirate activity stretching back four months. The current wave of attacks began on April 21, when the Palau-flagged tanker Honor 25 was seized off Somalia’s coast. Pirates followed that seizure with captures of the Sward on April 26, the Eureka on May 2, the Asana on July 17, and the Lutuf earlier this month.
Notably, the attacks have taken place increasingly far from Somalia’s traditional territorial waters, indicating expanded operational reach for pirate groups. The Eureka was hijacked while anchored off Yemeni territory, and the Asana was seized approximately 65 nautical miles, or 120 kilometers, southwest of al-Mukalla, Yemen.
Data from the International Maritime Bureau underscores the outsized impact of this renewed Somali piracy surge. The organization recorded 38 total incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea across the globe in the first half of 2026, five of which were full hijackings. Over that period, Somali pirates held 94% of all crew members taken hostage worldwide, the bureau reported.
In a statement released Friday, Puntland’s Security Ministry sought to distance local authorities from the resurgence of piracy, claiming that forces outside of Puntland’s control are behind the recent wave of attacks. The ministry did not name any specific group or country responsible for enabling the attacks, and AP has not been able to independently verify this claim.
Puntland officials also confirmed they have deployed additional security forces along the region’s lengthy coastline in response to the crisis. The statement also condemned recent airstrikes that hit civilian fishing boats and local infrastructure near coastal communities where hijacked vessels are being held. The ministry called on the nations responsible for strikes near the coastal town of Garacad on August 18 and 20 to publicly explain the actions, though it did not identify which country carried out the attacks, and the allegations remain unconfirmed independently.
