The coast guard, which is affiliated with Yemen's internationally recognized government and not the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, said it would investigate the incident, AFP reported.
According to MarineTraffic, Eureka is a tanker for the transport of petroleum products flying the flag of Togowhich was in the Emirate port of Fujairah at the end of March.
Gulf of Aden
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The British shipping safety monitoring agency UKMTO also reported suspicious activity near Shabwa province on Saturday. The bulk carrier reported that a small boat and a fishing vessel had come within 500 meters of it.
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It is unclear whether the UKMTO report is related to the information provided by the Yemeni Coast Guard.
The number of incidents is increasing
Piracy off the coast of Somalia increased after 2008, peaking in 2011 with hundreds of attacks reported. The phenomenon was later reduced by international maritime patrols and changes in shipping practices.
The number of incidents has been rising again in recent weeks, according to a report by the EU's maritime mission operating off the coast of Somalia. Three attacks were reported at the end of April alone.
Since February 28, shipping in the region has been additionally disrupted due to the US and Israel's war with Iran, but there is no indication yet that Saturday's kidnapping was related to it.
