Infrastructure & Transport
Somali pirates hold Asana tanker crew hostage off Somalia, officials say
Somali pirates who seized the chemical tanker M/T Asana in the Gulf of Aden are holding the vessel and its crew hostage off Somalia, two local security officials from Puntland said on Monday.
The officials, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the Tanzanian-flagged ship was anchored near the northeastern fishing town of Jifle. They said the tanker had 19 crew members, most of them Indian, with others from Syria, Yemen and Egypt.
The Asana was hijacked on July 16. Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said unauthorised personnel had boarded a vessel 65 nautical miles south of Mukalla on Yemen’s south coast while it was travelling east through the Gulf of Aden. Yemen’s coast guard said the vessel was the Asana and that it had been captured by Somali pirates.
The Puntland security officials said another hijacked vessel, the Syrian-flagged M/V Sward, which was seized on April 26, was also anchored off Jifle. They said two other tankers captured by Somali pirates in mid-April and in May, the M/T Honour 25 and Eureka, were being held with their crews about 200 kilometres north of Jifle.
The officials said they believed the pirates planned to move the Asana farther south toward the Mudug region of Puntland. One official said the seven pirates involved were from areas around Garacad, where he said they had support.
Piracy off Somalia peaked in 2011 and then declined sharply. The source says Somali pirates have since April turned their attention to the Gulf of Aden, off Yemen.
Update
Local security officials said the M/T Asana and its crew are being held hostage at anchorage near Jifle in Puntland, Somalia.
The officials said the tanker has a 19-person crew, mostly Indian, with other crew members from Syria, Yemen and Egypt.
The officials said another hijacked vessel, the Syrian-flagged M/V Sward, is also anchored off Jifle.
The officials said the M/T Honour 25 and Eureka tankers were being held with their crews about 200 kilometres north of Jifle.
The officials said they believed the pirates intended to move the Asana farther south toward Mudug.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 19:11:46 UTC.
Update
Yemen's coast guard identified the ship as the chemical tanker Asana.
Ambrey said the ship was Tanzania-flagged and had no armed security team aboard.
Ambrey said a South Korean navy vessel was heading to the tanker to help.
The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean said it was investigating and monitoring the vessel.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre raised its alert level to severe in early May after a series of Somali pirate attacks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 16:53:54 UTC.
Update
Yemen's coast guard said the vessel was the Asana and said it had been captured by Somali pirates.
Yemen's coast guard said the ship was heading southeast towards Somalia.
Ambrey said the Tanzania-flagged ship did not have an armed security team aboard.
Ambrey said a South Korean navy vessel was on its way to assist the tanker.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre raised its alert level to severe in early May after Somali pirate attacks on vessels off Yemen and Puntland.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 14:25:59 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The supplied material does not independently verify the condition of the crew.
The pirates’ reported plan to move the Asana farther south is based on the officials’ belief.
The Puntland officials spoke anonymously.
Source
AFP news report published on .