Somali pirates blamed for seizure of second tanker in three months near Yemen - BBC News

There have also been several unsuccessful attacks in a region where piracy appears to be making a comeback.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, There have been several recent pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden (file photo)

Pirates have hijacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, according to a UK maritime safety organisation (UKMTO) and Somali security officials.

The UKMTO said a "vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel" as it sailed east, adding that other ships were "advised to transit with caution". Officials from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region said the attackers were Somali.

This is the second hijacking of a vessel off the coast of Yemen since May, when the MT Eureka was seized near the port of Qana. Two other ships were boarded by pirates in the Indian Ocean in April.

There have also been several unsuccessful attacks in a region where piracy appears to be making a comeback.