A US-sanctioned oil tanker has been among the vessels hijacked by Somali pirates amid a surge in piracy attacks off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.
The Seamull, also known as SIBU 1, was sanctioned by the US in December 2025, adding it to a list of vessels Washington has described as part of Iran’s “shadow fleet.”
The US Treasury Department said at the time that the ship had made several trips to Iran’s oil products, including naphtha and gasoil, and had also visited ports controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.
The sanctions were part of a US move targeting 29 ships it accused of transporting Iranian oil and evading Washington’s economic sanctions on Tehran.
The Eritrean-flagged ship, operated by a company based in the United Arab Emirates, was seized on August 20 in the Gulf of Aden, about 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen.
According to the UKMTO, six armed men boarded the ship, took control of it, and then diverted it towards Somalia.
The incident has made the Seamull particularly sensitive, as it is a vessel previously on the US sanctions list and has been linked to the Iranian oil trade.
The US said its sanctions stemmed from the ship’s ties to Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management, which Washington accuses of managing ships carrying Iranian oil products. The Seamull was among the vessels linked to that company.
The incident comes at a time when piracy in Somalia is on the rise again, with at least 13 attacks on ships reported off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden this year, compared to five attacks recorded in 2025.
