A sanctioned tanker linked to Iran was seized by Somali pirates

🔸The British “UK Maritime Trade Operations” said on Friday that a tanker under an American sanction, which Washington claims played a role in transporting Iranian oil products, was attacked by Somali pirates near the coasts of Yemen and was directed toward Somalia.

🔸According to this report, the tanker “Sibou 1,” which sails under an Eritrean flag, was seized on Thursday by six armed individuals.

🔸The U.S. Treasury Department had sanctioned this tanker last fall. Washington says “Sibou 1” is part of a “shadow fleet” that helps Iran evade U.S. sanctions and transfer oil products.

🔸Based on data from the “International Maritime Bureau” and reports by the “UK Maritime Trade Operations,” this is at least the 13th vessel since the beginning of the current year that has been attacked off Somalia’s coasts or in the Gulf of Aden.

🔸Somali pirates carried out hundreds of attacks between 2008 and 2014 and, by creating a security crisis in the western part of the Indian Ocean, caused billions of dollars in damage to the global economy. Hundreds of millions of dollars were also paid in ransom to free hostages.

🔸A coordinated international security response largely put an end to these attacks. A wave of ship hijackings in 2023 and 2024 also subsided after a broad naval response.

🔸However, experts say that as long as the roots of piracy, including poor economic and security conditions in Somalia, are not addressed, this phenomenon may re-emerge.