Two residents of Somalia’s semi‑autonomous Puntland region told Reuters on Thursday that a commercial vessel hijacked last week in Yemeni waters of the Gulf of Aden is now under the control of Somali pirates. The vessel, identified as MT Asana, is a fuel and chemical tanker sailing under the Tanzanian flag. Another local resident reported seeing pirates delivering food supplies to the hijacked vessel. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed last week that unauthorized individuals boarded the tanker in the Gulf of Aden and diverted it into Somali waters, classifying the incident as a hijacking. Somali piracy wreaked havoc off the Horn of Africa between 2008 and 2018, disrupting global shipping lanes.