Armed assailants boarded and are believed to have seized control of the chemical tanker Asana in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, according to maritime security sources and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The vessel was transiting east approximately 65 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Al Mukalla when it was boarded by unauthorised personnel. A distress call was issued around 0620 GMT, and the ship’s next listed destination was the Somali port of Bosaso.

UKMTO confirmed the boarding in a security alert, citing military authorities, but did not disclose the number of assailants or the condition of the crew. The British maritime risk management group Vanguard stated that details regarding the circumstances of the boarding and the status of the vessel and crew remain unclear. The Asana, a small chemical tanker with no confirmed flag, is listed in shipping databases as operated by Marshall Islands-based Exon Energy, which could not be reached for comment.

Initial assessments by maritime security sources indicate the incident is likely linked to Somali piracy rather than to Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia. A European Union Aspides naval mission official said efforts were under way to assist the vessel and determine what happened, adding that a South Korean warship was in the area. The hijacking occurred on a day when UKMTO issued three separate maritime security alerts for the region, including two incidents involving commercial tankers encountering military forces near Iran’s Khark Island and the Strait of Hormuz.

The suspected hijacking comes amid heightened regional tensions, with Iran reportedly asking the Houthis to prepare to close the Bab al-Mandab strait should the United States strike Iranian energy infrastructure. However, maritime security sources have not linked the Asana incident to those broader geopolitical dynamics. An investigation is ongoing, and authorities have urged vessels in the area to maintain a high level of operational vigilance.