Six armed pirates hijacked the Eritrean-flagged MT Sibu 1 on Thursday about 250km east of al-Mukalla, Yemen, and took it towards Somalia's Puntland coast, the official, who has knowledge of the incident, told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Sibu 1, managed by the UAE-based Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management, was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2025 for allegedly belonging to an Iranian "shadow fleet" used to transport petroleum products seeking to evade US sanctions.
The tanker had 20 crew members aboard: 16 Indians, one Syrian, one Sudanese, and one Iraqi, with the nationality of one crew member not immediately known.
The vessel's previous port of departure and intended destination remained unclear.
The hijacking came three days after pirates seized the Lutuf, a Cameroon-flagged general cargo vessel, off Somalia's coast, which had 10 crew aboard.
The Sibu 1 is the sixth commercial vessel hijacked by Somali pirates since April 21, when the Palau-flagged tanker Honor 25 was seized off Somalia.
Pirates later seized the Sward on April 26, the Eureka on May 2, the Asana on July 17 and the Lutuf on August 17.
The attacks have occurred increasingly far from Somalia's coastline, including the hijacking of the Eureka while anchored off Yemen and the Asana about 120km southwest of al-Mukalla.
The International Maritime Bureau recorded 38 piracy and armed robbery incidents worldwide during the first half of 2026, including five hijackings.
Somali pirates accounted for 94 per cent of crew members taken hostage during that period, the bureau said.
Puntland's security ministry said on Friday that its investigations indicated that forces beyond Puntland's control were behind the renewed piracy, but did not identify any group or country.
Puntland said it had deployed security forces along its coast and condemned air strikes that it said struck fishing vessels and property near coastal communities where hijacked ships were being held.
It called on the countries involved, which it did not name, to explain strikes near Garacad on August 18 and August 20.
