Wednesday May 13, 2026 The UAE has strongly denounced the hijacking of an oil tanker off the Yemeni coast, a vessel carrying several Egyptian sailors, and its later diversion into Somali territorial waters. In its statement, the UAE said the incident amounts to a direct threat to maritime security and to the safety of international shipping lanes. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the UAE's full solidarity with Egypt and with the families of the kidnapped sailors, and its support for efforts aimed at…

By Pranav Baskar and Matthew Mpoke BiggMonday May 4, 2026 A brazen seizure off Yemen has renewed fears that Somali pirates are regaining their footing — and raised fresh suspicions that they may be operating alongside Iran-backed Houthi rebels amid upheaval across the Middle East. Maritime police forces from the Puntland State region of Somalia patrolling the Gulf of Aden last year.Credit...Feisal Omar/Reuters Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker off Yemen’s coast on Saturday and steered it into Somali waters, authorities…

Monday April 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A family in Indonesia is pressing its government to step in after Somali pirates seized an oil tanker off the country’s coast last week and took an Indonesian captain hostage. Ashari Samadikun, 33, is among 17 crew members captured when armed men hijacked the UAE-flagged tanker Honour 25 about 30 nautical miles offshore, security officials in Puntland State said. The vessel was traveling from Oman to Mogadishu when it came under attack. Speaking from their home in Gowa regency,…

In Guinea, from Monday, June 14, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Forestry banned "the cutting and transport of firewood throughout the national territory, until further notice". Issuance of hijacking permits is also prohibited. A measure that the ministry justified with "the report on excessive logging and illegal…