The Route of the Tanker EUREKA: From Hijacking Off Yemen to the Somali Coast

Misbar’s team at Alaraby TV tracked the oil tanker EUREKA (IMO: 1022823) stabilizing off the eastern coast of Somalia at a location different from its originally scheduled destination of the port of Bosaso.

Navigation data and satellite imagery showed the vessel reached the eastern Somali coast on May 6 following its hijacking off the Yemeni coast. Afterward, it adopted a “silent sailing” strategy by periodically switching off its tracking systems to conceal its true location while moving.

Deviation of EUREKA’s Route: From Yemen’s Coast to Somalia

According to tracking conducted by Misbar, the tanker — sailing under the flag of Togo — began its voyage from the port of Fujairah on March 24 and followed a routine route through Oman before reaching the Bir Ali area in Shabwah Governorate on April 30.

However, Misbar recorded a sudden deviation in the vessel’s course on May 2, when it crossed the Gulf of Aden southward at a speed of 5 knots. Dotted tracking lines indicated that the vessel intentionally disabled its automatic transmission systems to obscure its real-time position.

The deviation occurred before the Yemeni Coast Guard announced on May 3 that the tanker EUREKA had been hijacked off the coast of Shabwah by nine Somali gunmen, who had diverted it toward Somalia on May 2.

The tanker was carrying a crew of 12 sailors of Egyptian and Indian nationalities, along with a cargo of 2,800 tons of diesel fuel.

The incident caused the vessel to completely abandon its scheduled maritime route before later stabilizing in a fully loaded state within Somali territorial waters.

Data from MarineTraffic show a sharp discrepancy in the registered destination. While the vessel was navigationally expected to head toward the Yemeni coast near Bir Ali, the destination records instead indicated it had been redirected toward the Somali port of Bosaso.

Recent monitoring conducted by Misbar on May 8 confirmed that the tanker had passed Bosaso and stabilized off the district of Bandar Beyla in far eastern Somalia, registering a speed close to zero — an indication of an almost complete halt within territorial waters that were not part of its declared destination.

Navigation data also confirm that EUREKA remains fully loaded, with its current draft measuring 5 meters — the same figure recorded when it departed Fujairah port.

Satellite Images Track EUREKA’s Position Off Bari Region

Satellite images captured by the Sentinel-1 satellite also revealed the tanker’s position at coordinates (9°50'24.0"N 50°54'24.0"E), north of Bandar Beyla.

The metallic mass of the vessel appeared clearly visible in the water, positioned approximately 5.95 to 6.85 kilometers from shore — equivalent to about 3.7 nautical miles.

Technical Specifications and Ownership of EUREKA

Technically, the tanker EUREKA, built in 2006, is owned by Royal Shipping Lines Inc., headquartered in the Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah.

The hijacking of EUREKA comes amid growing concerns over the return of piracy incidents off the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden. In April, Operation Atalanta confirmed two piracy incidents off northern Somalia involving a tanker and a commercial vessel.

Meanwhile, the International Maritime Bureau reported continued hijackings and attempted boardings of ships in Somali waters and the Gulf of Aden throughout 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.

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