Armed pirates are reportedly seizing the chemical tanker Asana in the Gulf of Aden off southern Yemen. Maritime security sources cited by multiple outlets say the crew of the small tanker is dealing with an incident in which assailants board the vessel and appear to be in control. The reports place the hijacking in the Gulf of Aden area off Yemen on Friday. One account says the initial assessment points to Somali piracy rather than involvement by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia, based on preliminary indicators associated with the attackers and the circumstances of the boarding. The tanker is described as having no confirmed flag in the early reporting. Details in the reports indicate the ship had listed the Somali port of Bosaso as its next destination, consistent with routes associated with piracy incidents in the region. The outlets characterize the situation as an ongoing maritime security incident and rely on information from maritime security sources, with limited confirmed details at the time of publication.