US-sanctioned oil tanker rescued from Somali pirates in Puntland

The maritime police force in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region announced today the release of the US-sanctioned oil tanker Sebi 1, which had been seized by Somali pirates in August.

According to Reuters, Mohamed Jama, commander of the Puntland maritime police base, said, "It was an anti-piracy operation carried out by our forces two days ago, and operations are still ongoing; the ship is now free, and all the pirates are in our custody." The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that six armed men hijacked the Sebi 1 on August 20.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the tanker in December, stating it was part of a "shadow fleet" helping Iranian oil products evade US sanctions. Piracy off the Somali coast has resurged in recent months.

According to data from the International Maritime Bureau and reports from the UK Maritime Trade Operations, Sebi 1 was at least the thirteenth vessel attacked this year off the Somali coast or in the Gulf of Aden, which separates Somalia from Yemen.

A wave of Somali piracy between 2008 and 2014 triggered a security crisis in the western Indian Ocean, costing the global economy billions of dollars and resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.