22 Indians among crew of two commercial vessels hijacked near Yemen, Somalia

Two commercial vessels carrying 22 Indian nationals were hijacked in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia. Officials said the Indian crew members on both ships are safe as monitoring continues.

In Short

• Officials said all Indian seafarers aboard both vessels remain unharmed
• Eritrea-flagged tanker M.T. Sibhu-1 was seized in the Gulf of Aden
• The tanker was about 30 nautical miles from Yemen's coast

Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, a senior Shipping Ministry official said on Friday. The Indian crew members aboard both vessels are safe, according to the latest information available.

The Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker MT Sibhu-1, carrying 20 crew members, including 16 Indians, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on August 20, around 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast.

The remaining crew members include one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi national, while the nationality of another seafarer is yet to be confirmed.

According to the official, six armed pirates are currently onboard the tanker and have taken control of the vessel. The information was reported by Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) agency SKS Krishi Marine Services.

The agency has been asked to submit an incident report and subsequent updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system.

Maritime tracking data indicated that the tanker was approached by an unauthorised vessel before control of the ship was lost.

SECOND VESSEL HIJACKED OFF SOMALIA

The second vessel, Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, was hijacked on August 17 off Somalia's Puntland coast. The vessel has 10 crew members, including six Indians.

The Shipping Ministry official said eight armed pirates operating from two skiffs boarded the vessel. The pirates were reportedly carrying AK-47-type weapons.

The crew initially took shelter in the vessel's citadel, a designated secure area, but the pirates subsequently gained access and brought them to the bridge. The vessel remains under pirate control, although no injuries have been reported.

The ship was seized around 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland's Eyl district and was later taken towards Somalia's Nugaal coast, according to a Somali official cited by The Associated Press.

The crew includes six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards.

RISING SECURITY CONCERNS FOR INDIAN SEAFARERS

The hijackings come amid renewed piracy concerns in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, alongside broader security risks affecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

The Forward Seamen's Union of India also raised concerns over the dangers facing Indian seafarers amid regional tensions, although it was unclear whether footage shared by the union on Friday referred to either of the latest hijackings.

India has a significant exposure to such risks as one of the world's largest sources of merchant seafarers.

The 2026 BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report estimates that India supplies 311,936 seafarers, making it the world's second-largest supplier after the Philippines.

- Ends