Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked in separate incidents off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia, a senior shipping ministry official confirmed on Friday.
The Indian crew members aboard both hijacked vessels are reported to be safe, according to the latest available information.
The Chenab Times has learned that the first incident involved the Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker M.T. Sibu 1, which was hijacked on August 20 in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast. The vessel was carrying 20 crew members, including 16 Indian nationals. The crew also comprises one Syrian, one Sudanese, and one Iraqi national, with the nationality of one additional seafarer yet to be confirmed.
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) had previously raised concerns about the dangers faced by Indian seafarers, particularly in light of regional conflicts. The union had also posted footage claiming to show a hijacking in the Strait of Hormuz involving a vessel with 22 crew, including 21 Indians, on April 22, though it was unclear if this related to the recent incidents.
Details provided by an RPSL agency, S K S Krishi Marine Services (Opc) Private Limited, indicated that six armed pirates had boarded the M.T. Sibu 1 and taken control of the vessel. The agency has been instructed to submit an incident report and subsequent updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system.
Maritime tracking data suggests the tanker was approached by an unauthorized vessel before control was lost. This incident occurs amidst an increase in piracy activity off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden this year. The renewed threat exacerbates existing security pressures on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the wider Indian Ocean region, where vessels have also faced attacks linked to the conflict in Yemen.
A second vessel, the Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, was hijacked on August 17 off the coast of Somalia’s Puntland region, according to official sources and maritime security reports. This vessel had 10 crew members on board, including six Indian nationals. Maritime security reports stated that the vessel was boarded by eight pirates, armed with AK-47 type weapons and operating from two skiffs. The crew initially took refuge in a citadel, but the pirates gained access and moved them to the bridge. The vessel was reportedly seized approximately 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district and was subsequently steered towards Somalia’s Nugaal coast.
The crew of the M/V LUTUF included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national, and two Serbian security guards. The cargo ship was reportedly carrying Turkish weapons, communications, and satellite equipment, with a destination of a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu. The hijackers, suspected of involvement in a prior hijacking incident, directed the ship towards the Nugaal coast.
These hijackings highlight the significant risks faced by Indian seafarers, who constitute a substantial portion of the global maritime workforce. India is the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers, with an estimated 311,936 seafarers contributing to the global economy, according to the 2026 BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report. This underscores the country’s vulnerability to risks affecting merchant crews across international waters.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
