Tanker boarded by armed group off Yemen, says British military

A chemical tanker was boarded by an armed group off the coast of Yemen on Friday while it was transiting in the Gulf of Aden, the British military said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO,) said military authorities had reported that the vessel was boarded by “unauthorized personnel” south of al-Mukalla province in Yemen.

Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said Somali pirate are believed to have boarded the tanker, which does not have an armed security team on board.

The firm said a Korean naval vessel was on its way to assist the tanker which issued a distress call while heading westbound.

The data tracker, Maritime Traffic, showed that the Tanzania-flagged oil and chemical tanker Asana was en route to Bosaso, Somalia.

Yemen’s coast guard in Aden didn’t immediately respond to request for comments.

It is the latest maritime attack off one of the world’s poorest countries, which has been ravaged by a yearslong civil war.

Read more: AP