On May 22, the UK Maritime Trade Authority (UKMTO) reported that an oil tanker off Yemen’s coast was compelled to fire warning shots after a suspicious small vessel approached it. The incident occurred approximately 98 nautical miles north of Socotra, an island in the northwest Indian Ocean.
According to the UKMTO, the tanker’s security team discharged warning shots, forcing the smaller vessel—which carried five individuals—to alter its course. A similar event unfolded on May 23, when another unidentified vessel with five crew members approached a different oil tanker about 370 kilometers from Socotra.
The authorities noted that it remains unclear whether these incidents are connected or which countries the suspicious vessels may belong to.
Separately, the UKMTO reported on May 14 that an unidentified group seized a ship near Fujairah in the Strait of Hormuz and transferred it into Iranian territorial waters. On May 8, Iran claimed it had intercepted the Barbados-flagged oil tanker Ocean Koi, alleging the vessel attempted to disrupt oil exports and harm national interests.
