English Title: Maritime Security Alert: Oil Tanker Hijacked Off Somalia Coast Amid Rising Piracy Threats

British maritime authorities have reported that suspected Somali pirates hijacked a fuel tanker off the northeastern coast of Somalia on Wednesday, according to a local official and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The vessel was seized in waters between the coastal towns of Hafun and Bandarbeyla in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland while en route from the port of Berbera to Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

A colonel with the Puntland Maritime Police Force, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that six armed men from the Bandarbeyla district carried out the hijacking.

UKMTO confirmed the incident in a statement, saying unauthorized individuals had taken control of the tanker and were maneuvering it south within Somali territorial waters.

The tanker, owned by Pakistani interests and chartered by local businessmen, was transporting a large shipment of fuel at the time of the seizure.

It was not possible to verify the number of people aboard the vessel, according to the Puntland official.

Local authorities and Puntland security forces are under pressure from community leaders to secure the release of the vessel and its crew.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia remains an ongoing issue, with incidents occurring in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Indian Ocean, particularly in Somali territorial waters.