Armed men take over chemical tanker off Yemen’s coast
MUKALLA, July 17 (YPA) –Unidentified armed men are believed to have boarded the chemical tanker Asana in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Al-Mukalla in Yemen’s Hadramout province, an area controlled by Saudi-backed forces.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO,) said that a vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel while transiting east in the Gulf of Aden, 65 nautical miles south of Yemen’s Al Mukalla port.
Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said Somali pirate are believed to have boarded the tanker, which does not have an armed security team on board.
The firm said a Korean naval vessel was on its way to assist the tanker which issued a distress call while heading westbound.
The data tracker, Maritime Traffic, showed that the Tanzania-flagged oil and chemical tanker Asana was en route to Bosaso, Somalia, which is under the control of Puntland authorities.
No further details have been released regarding the circumstances of the incident or the identity of those responsible.
@E.Y.M