US-Sanctioned Tanker Sibu 1 Freed After 35 Days in Somali Pirates’ Hands

Puntland Maritime Police Force officers seized the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1 from pirates who had held the tanker since mid-August, maritime shipping press reported Thursday. The Eritrea-flagged oil tanker was taken at gunpoint on August 20 by six armed men in the Gulf of Aden, roughly 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast, then moved toward the Somali coast.

The recovery ended a 35-day standoff. Details on crew conditions were not immediately reported.

Puntland security forces have pushed harder against piracy on this stretch of coast all summer. A drone strike in mid-August killed four suspected pirates near the Puntland Nugaal coast, targeting men suspected of involvement in the seizure of MV Lutuf the day before.

A US sanction attaches to Sibu 1, separate from the Eritrean flag the tanker flies. Last week, Washington lifted sanctions on Eritrea's ruling party, military, and Red Sea Trading Corporation, citing Red Sea strategic interests. The change puts Eritrea, Sibu 1's flag state, outside US designation while Sibu 1 itself remains on the sanctions list.

MarineRadar showed three devices tracking this section of the Somali coast in the past 48 hours.