Tanker near Somalia fires warning shots at suspicious approach

Saturday May 23, 2026

A tanker in the Gulf of Aden came under a suspicious approach on May 22, prompting its armed security team to fire warning shots in a bid to turn away a small boat — the latest in a string of incidents tied to active Somali pirate groups.

The reported encounter was passed to UK Maritime Trade Operations by the tanker’s company security officer. The vessel was underway when it was approached about 98 nautical miles from Socotra, the Yemeni-controlled island off the Horn of Africa.

A small craft carrying five people was seen closing in on the tanker. After the security team fired warning shots, the boat altered course.

The incident was the third approach recorded in the past week, according to the EU’s Maritime Security Center for the Indian Ocean (MSCIO). On May 18, a skiff operating near Bosaso, Somalia, was reported to the EU’s Operation Atalanta and was believed to be part of a pirate group searching for a merchant vessel. Three days earlier, on May 15, authorities received a report of a suspicious high-speed boat that had stopped a fishing vessel. Those aboard were carrying weapons resembling AK-47 rifles.

Three vessels are also still being held by pirate groups off the Somali coast. The tanker MT Honour 25 was seized on April 21, the general cargo ship Sward was taken on April 26, and the tanker Eureka was captured on May 2. Pirates are said to be demanding $3 million for the release of the Eureka.

UKMTO says the piracy threat remains severe along Somalia’s coastline and in the Somalia Basin. MSCIO has singled out the waters north of Somalia, near Puntland State, and the Gulf of Aden as the highest-risk areas, while rating the threat along the Somali coast as moderate. Ships have been advised to stay at least 150 nautical miles offshore, or to avoid the area altogether if possible.