By Mohamed Abdi - Reporter
CALUULA — A commercial tanker hijacked off the coast of Yemen has been taken to waters near Caluula district in Somalia’s northeastern Bari region, according to security sources and local officials cited by The Associated Press.
The vessel, identified as the MT ASANA and sailing under the Tanzanian flag, was reportedly seized on Friday after departing from the Yemeni port city of Mukalla.
Sources familiar with the incident told AP that seven armed men, suspected of being Somali pirates, forcibly took control of the tanker before sailing it toward the coast of Puntland.
The vessel is now believed to be in waters near Caluula in the Bari region. However, its exact location remains unclear, and there is no confirmation that the hijackers have made any demands to the ship’s owners.
Publicly available vessel-tracking data showed the MT ASANA moving slowly through the Gulf of Aden on Friday, with Bosaso listed as its destination.
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At the time, the tanker was traveling at around two knots, far below the normal speed of a commercial vessel. The unusually slow movement is consistent with reports that the ship issued a distress signal when the armed group took control.
There has been no official confirmation of the number of crew members aboard, their nationalities or their condition.
Puntland authorities have not yet commented on reports that the tanker is being held off the coast of Bari. The company that owns or manages the MT ASANA has also not issued a statement about the hijacking or the condition of the crew.
Maritime security experts have linked the resurgence of piracy to continued regional instability, Somalia’s vast coastline and a decline in sustained international naval patrols along major shipping routes.