Skiff Fires on LNG Tanker in Gulf of Aden

A small skiff approached an LNG tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday and fired on it before the vessel's armed security drove it off.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported the incident at roughly 140 nautical miles southeast of Al Mukalla on Yemen's eastern coast. Seven people on the skiff fired two shots toward the tanker. Security personnel on board answered with two warning shots. The skiff then changed course and left. No one was hurt and no damage was reported.

UKMTO issued advisory 176-26, asking ships in the area to stay cautious and flag any suspicious activity to authorities while the incident is looked into. The tanker's name was not released.

The area has seen a run of armed approaches this year. An armed craft attacked the container ship CUL Klang in the southern Red Sea ten days earlier. Yemeni forces retook Perim Island at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb in early October, adding to uncertainty along the route.

MarineRadar data shows 65 unique devices tracked across the Southern Red Sea region in the past 48 hours, evidence of the commercial traffic moving through these waters.