Somali pirates have successfully hijacked an oil tanker, the MT Eureka, off the coast of Yemen, marking a significant resurgence in piracy in the region. According to multiple Somali security officials, the tanker, flying the flag of the West African nation of Togo, was overrun by gunmen at 5:00 AM local time (03:00 BST) in the Gulf of Aden, near the port of Qana. The Yemeni coastguard confirmed the hijacking, stating the vessel was headed towards Somalia and is now expected to anchor in Somali waters.

This incident follows closely on the heels of another hijacking just ten days prior, when Somali pirates seized the Honor 25 on April 22, which was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil bound for Mogadishu. The MT Eureka hijacking marks the second oil tanker seizure in a short period and the fourth successful pirate hijacking in just two weeks, indicating a worrying trend of expanding piracy along Somalia's vast 3,333km coastline, the longest in mainland Africa.

The pirates responsible for the MT Eureka hijacking reportedly departed from a remote coastal area near the seaside town of Qandala in the semi-autonomous Puntland region. In a separate, but related incident, the United Kingdom Maritime Transportation Operation (UKMTO) reported that