Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Tanker Hijacked in Gulf of Aden and Diverted Toward Somalia (Mike Schuler, Aug 20, 2026)

A U.S.-sanctioned product tanker has been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and redirected toward Somalia after six armed men boarded and seized control of the vessel, marking the second reported hijacking in the region this week. The vessel has been identified by maritime security sources as the 32,200-dwt product tanker Sibu 1 (IMO 9204776). Lloyd's List also identified the vessel as Sibu 1, reporting that its AIS broadcast a distress message reading "PIRATE ONBOARD HELP" before it changed course. AIS shows the vessel changed its AIS destination to Port Sudan on August 15 and entered the Somalia High Risk Area at 1718 UTC on August 19. Its last position before the reported boarding showed it traveling west-southwest at about 9.3 knots. Martin Kelly, head of advisory at EOS Risk Group, noted that the vessel is sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control and has been identified by United Against Nuclear Iran as part of Tehran's so-called "ghost fleet." At the time of the designation, the vessel was identified as Seamull and managed by UAE-based Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management. The incident — coming days after the hijacking of the cargo ship Lutuf — points to a broader resurgence of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden. [Body also recaps earlier 2026 hijackings, including the product tanker Honour 25 and general cargo ship Sward, hijacked off Somalia in April. No crew details given.] [NOTE: the group name 'United Against Nuclear Iran' contains a banned substring for the desk's own draft — paraphrase or trim the quote before it.]