Merchant ship attacked off Yemen, UK maritime agency says

DPAFri, July 17, 2026 at 5:37 PM UTC1 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.Key takeawaysPowered by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo is using AI to generate key points from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

• Somali pirates seize merchant vessel ASANA off the coast of Yemen, moving towards Somalia.
• Yemeni coastguard reports act of piracy by Somali pirates, ongoing coordination with international partners to monitor situation.
• Unclear if incident linked to US-Iran tensions, Houthi militia in Yemen has not commented on attack threatening vital shipping route.

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A merchant vessel attacked off the coast of Yemen was seized by Somali pirates, the Yemeni coastguard said on Friday.

The incident involving the oil tanker ASANA occurred more than 26 nautical miles off the coast of Hadramawt in eastern Yemen, the governmental agency added, which spoke of an act of "piracy carried out by a group of Somali pirates".

The coastguard said in an online statement that initial reports indicated that the tanker is moving slowly south-east towards Somalia.

Coordination with international partners

The authority cited ongoing coordination with international partners to monitor developments of the incident and status of the vessel, but without specifying the number of crew members on board, or the nationality of the tanker.

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Earlier Friday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said unauthorized individuals are believed to have boarded the vessel south of the Yemeni city of Al-Mukalla while it was travelling eastwards through the Gulf of Aden.Ships in the area have been urged to exercise caution.

It was initially unclear whether the incident was linked to the tensions between the US and Iran.

The Houthi militia in Yemen, which is allied with Iran, has not yet commented on the alleged attack. However, it has repeatedly threatened to disrupt the vital shipping route between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Alongside the Strait of Hormuz, which is being blocked by Iran in response to Israeli-US attacks, these waters are another vital lifeline for international maritime trade in the region.