Overview
- The Togo-flagged oil tanker MT Eureka, boarded by armed men near Yemen on Saturday, was steered toward Somalia with its latest position and crew condition unclear.
- The seizure follows at least three hijackings since April 21, prompting the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations and commercial trackers to raise the threat level off Somalia.
- Somali regional officials said the Eureka was being held for ransom off Puntland, while authorities in Yemen and Somalia began monitoring and recovery efforts.
- Security analysts report a possible alignment between Somali pirate gangs and Yemen’s Houthi movement, with rebels supplying surveillance tools or cover and pirates providing skiffs and crews.
- Experts link the spike to fewer naval patrols and richer targets as Saudi crude shifts to Red Sea ports, raising risks on a corridor that carries a significant share of global trade.