Chemical tanker Asana was reportedly hijacked by pirates off the southern coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, according to maritime security sources. Armed attackers reportedly boarded the vessel and took control of it while it was sailing through the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.

Ship tracking data showed that the tanker, which does not carry a verified registered flag, was en route to the Somali port of Bosaso.

No other details are available.

Maritime sources say that the ship’s sudden route change indicated that the incident was related to Somali piracy rather than an attack by Iran aligned houthi forces. Owe

Earlier today, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that the vessel was boarded on Tuesday by unauthorised personnel while transiting the Gulf of Aden 65 nautical miles south of Yemen’s Al Mukalla port.

“Details regarding the number of assailants, the circumstances of the boarding, and the status of the vessel and crew remain unclear,” British maritime risk management group Vanguard says.

Greek maritime security company Diaplous said that a South Korean warship was dispatched to the area.

The vessel issued a distress call around 0620 GMT on Friday and did not have an armed security team when the incident occurred.

The ​vessel's operator was ​listed in shipping databases as Marshall Islands-based Exon Energy, Reuters reported

The vessel is currently sailing under the flag of Tanzania.

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