Somali pirates suspected of first hijacking for 5 years

An oil tanker has gone missing off the coast of Somalia with authorities unable to rule out pirate involvement.

If the tanker was in fact hijacked by pirates, it’d be the first such incident of its kind in the region since 2012.

The tanker sent a distress signal on Monday evening, reporting that it was being approached by high speed boats.

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There are thought to be eight people on board the Sri Lankan boat, alongside 12,000 tonnes of cargo.

It was then diverted off course and its tracking system turned off; authorities say the hijackers claim to be fishermen whose equipment was destroyed by illegal fishing vessels, but told the BBC that they are trying to rule out the possibility that these “fishermen” are in fact pirates.

The European Union Naval Force was brought into the region to control the outbreak of hijackings after a spate of pirate-related activities hit the region in 2011 and 2012.

A spokesperson for the Force said it was too early to confirm piracy.

Although some smaller vessels have been attacked in the past few years, there have been no major pirate hijackings since 2012.