In two separate incidents, 22 Indian nationals were among the crew of two commercial vessels hijacked by pirates off Yemen and Somalia, officials confirmed on Friday.
An Eritrea‑flagged oil products tanker, M T Sibu 1, with 20 crew members including 16 Indians, was seized by six armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, about 30 nautical miles off Yemen’s coast on August 20. The pirates remain onboard and have taken control of the vessel.
In another incident on August 17, a Cameroon‑flagged cargo ship, LUTUF, with six Indians among its 10 crew members, was hijacked by eight pirates armed with AK‑47s off Somalia’s Puntland coast. The pirates boarded from two skiffs, overpowered the crew, and took control of the bridge.
Officials from the Shipping Ministry said all Indian crew members are safe. Recruitment agencies have been directed to submit incident reports and periodic updates through the e‑Navik marine casualty reporting system.
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation as both vessels remain under pirate control. No injuries have been reported so far.
