Skiff fires shots at LNG tanker off Yemen's coast, UKMTO says
A small skiff carrying seven people approached an LNG tanker 140 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's Al Mukalla and fired two shots at it; the tanker's armed security team fired two warning shots and the skiff altered course, UKMTO said.
A small skiff carrying seven people approached an LNG tanker off Yemen’s southern coast on Saturday and fired two shots at the vessel, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.
The incident happened about 140 nautical miles (259 km) southeast of Al Mukalla, on the Arabian Sea side of Yemen — far from the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker’s master reported the approach to UKMTO, saying the skiff fired two shots at the tanker before the vessel’s armed security team fired two warning shots, forcing the small craft to alter course, according to the agency’s advisory note carried in a statement on X.
UKMTO advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity “whilst authorities investigate.” Further details were not immediately available, Anadolu Agency reported.
The gunfire came amid a day of reported attacks on commercial shipping. UKMTO separately reported a rocket-propelled grenade fired at a tanker about 78 nautical miles northeast of Saudi Arabia’s Al Jubail, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two supertankers had caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Dawn’s live coverage.
Sources: Anadolu Agency; Dawn live blog; Tribune/ANI.
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