An oil tanker under US sanctions for allegedly transporting Iranian petroleum products has become the latest victim of resurgent Somali piracy when it was boarded off the coast of Yemen and diverted toward Somalia.
The Eritrea-flagged Sibu 1 was seized on Thursday by six armed individuals, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The tanker was sanctioned last December by the US Treasury for allegedly being part of a shadow fleet that helps Iranian petroleum products evade US sanctions.
The Sibu 1 was at least the 13th vessel attacked this year off the coast of Somalia or in the Gulf of Aden, which links Somalia and Yemen, according to data from the International Maritime Bureau and reports by UKMTO.
There were only five such attacks in all of 2025, according to the IMB data.
