LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) – Armed attackers reportedly boarded the chemical tanker Asana near Yemen's southern coast in the Gulf of Aden on Friday and are now in control of the ship, according to maritime security sources.
Initial reports suggest that this incident is linked to Somali piracy instead of the Houthi militia in Yemen, according to one of the sources.
The small tanker, which did not have a confirmed flag, was reportedly heading to the Somali port of Bosaso, as suggested by ship tracking data.
Efforts are currently underway to assist the Asana and to learn more about the situation, according to an official from the European Union’s Aspides naval mission, which operates in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area.
A South Korean warship was present in the region at the time, the official told Reuters.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard stated that details on the number of attackers, what happened during the boarding, and the condition of the vessel and crew are still unclear.
The Asana sent out a distress signal around 0620 GMT on Friday and did not have an armed security team on board during the incident, according to British maritime security group Ambrey, which also noted that the attackers were likely part of a pirate group.
The operator of the vessel is identified in shipping databases as Exon Energy, based in the Marshall Islands, but they have not been reachable for comments.