Dar es Salaam. A merchant ship hijacked in Yemeni waters in the Gulf of Aden last week is currently being held by Somali pirates, according to local sources in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.
The vessel, identified as the MT Asana, is a Tanzanian-flagged fuel and chemical tanker.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident and self-described former pirate stated that there are 20 crew members on board the tanker, including eight German and 10 Filipino nationals.
A second resident in the coastal town of Caluula reported seeing pirates transporting food supplies out to the hijacked vessel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed last week that a vessel boarded by unauthorised personnel in the Gulf of Aden had subsequently been manoeuvred into Somali territorial waters, formally classifying the incident as a hijacking.
Somali piracy caused widespread disruption off the Horn of Africa between 2008 and 2018.
Following a prolonged lull, pirate activity in the region began to resurge in late 2023.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Tanzania's chief government spokesperson, Mr Gerson Msigwa, stated that Tanzanian authorities are actively assessing the situation and working to verify the vessel's links to the country.
"Our systems are tracking the situation to determine the exact connection to our country regarding the ship carrying cargo bound for Tanzania [from Yemen],” he said.
“We are following up, and once we have complete and accurate information, we will issue an official statement to the public," added Mr Msigwa.
