A tanker made a distress call as an unauthorised vessel approached it roughly 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Thursday.
“The vessel was proceeding west through the Gulf of Aden when an unidentified vessel approached,” the organisation stated. UKMTO, a British maritime security information service, did not immediately provide details regarding the tanker itself, the other vessel or if anyone had been injured. Authorities were investigating the incident.
It’s one more reason that commercial shipping faces heightened security concerns around Yemen. UKMTO encourages vessels operating in this area to report any suspicious activity and sends out security alerts to mariners.
The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal is a significant shipping route that has been the target for security threats against commercial vessels operating within the area.
UKMTO said at this point it could not confirm if the latest attack was attributable to Yemen’s Houthi rebels or Somalia-based pirates. There were also currently no claims of responsibility from either side. This most recent alert brings forward another warning related to commercial ships sailing close to Yemen.
