Somali Pirates Strike Again: Oil Tanker Hijacked with Crew Onboard

An oil tanker with 17 crew members has been hijacked off the Somali coast, marking a troubling resurgence of piracy in the region as political tensions fuel insecurity.

The ship, Honour 25, was overrun late on Wednesday by six gunmen while approximately 30 nautical miles offshore, according to multiple security officials.

Piracy had significantly diminished in this stretch of the Indian Ocean after 2011, but has seen a resurgence in recent years, with fishing trawlers and container ships being targeted again.

The hijacked tanker was headed for the Somali capital, Mogadishu, at the time of its capture. This incident is expected to heighten anxiety in the city, where petrol prices have already tripled amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran.

The Honour 25 was said to carry 18,500 barrels of oil, according to officials from Somalia's Puntland region.

Having departed from Berbera, a port in the self-declared republic of Somaliland on February 20, the ship traveled to the UAE region before returning towards Mogadishu, with its final movements tracked near the Strait of Hormuz.

Under pirate control, the ship has since anchored close to the Somali shore between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla, with five additional armed men reportedly having boarded the tanker.

Authorities are currently uncertain how the hijackers managed to successfully intercept and seize the oil tanker, as official statements from the Somali government and the European Naval Force are yet to be released.