ADEN, Yemen, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A products tanker transiting near Yemen's Socotra island was approached by a suspicious small craft carrying five people, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday.
In a statement, the UKMTO said the incident occurred within the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), about 200 nautical miles west of Yemen's Socotra island.
The master of the tanker reported that the small craft approached the vessel to within approximately 100 meters, according to the statement.
The vessel's armed security team was subsequently deployed, prompting the small craft to alter course and move away from the tanker, the UKMTO said.
The UKMTO advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.
The latest incident came several hours after the UKMTO said on Friday that a tanker's armed security team fired warning shots at a suspicious small craft approaching the vessel about 98 nautical miles north of Yemen's Socotra island.
The waters surrounding Yemen, including key shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, have witnessed a series of maritime security incidents amid ongoing regional tensions.
Earlier this month, the Yemeni Coast Guard announced that an oil tanker was boarded and taken under control by unidentified armed individuals off the coast of Shabwa province before being steered toward the Somali coast. ■
