The Gulf of Aden witnessed a mysterious security incident, after gunmen boarded the small chemical tanker “Asana” while it was sailing off the southern coast of Yemen, amid information from sources specializing in maritime security indicating that they had taken control of the ship, without the fate of its crew or the motives of the operation becoming clear yet.
According to a Reuters report published by the Israeli Maariv website, on Friday, unauthorized persons boarded the tanker while it was sailing east in the Gulf of Aden, about 65 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Mukalla.
Sources in the field of maritime security reported that the gunmen were now in control of the ship, but the details of the incident have not been fully confirmed yet.
The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority (UKMTO) confirmed that it had received a report about unauthorized persons boarding a ship while it was sailing in the region.
The Authority’s statement did not include any information regarding the identity of the gunmen, the number of crew members on the tanker, or their conditions after the incident.
Ship tracking data showed that the next destination recorded on the Asana tanker’s route was the port of Bosaso in Somalia.
The data also indicated that it was not possible to confirm the flag under which the tanker was sailing when the boarding operation took place.
No additional information has yet been received regarding the circumstances of control of the ship, the possible demands of the militants, or the measures taken in the region to deal with the incident.
Between the absence of information about the crew and the lack of identification of those controlling the tanker, the accident remains open to multiple possibilities, awaiting official confirmation that reveals what happened on board “Asana” and its fate.
