Two ships carrying 22 Indians hijacked off Yemen and Somalia
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Two commercial vessels carrying 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, a senior shipping ministry official said on Friday.
All Indian crew members on both vessels are reportedly safe.
The first vessel, Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, carrying 10 crew members including six Indians, was hijacked on August 17 off Somalia’s Puntland coast.
The second vessel, Eritrea-flagged oil-products tanker M.T. Sibu 1, carrying 20 crew members including 16 Indians, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on August 20, off the Yemeni coast.
According to the official, six armed pirates took control of M.T. Sibu, while eight armed pirates carrying AK-47-type weapons boarded M/V LUTUF from two skiffs.
M.T. Sibu issued a distress call on Thursday after gunmen boarded the tanker and forced it to change course towards Somalia.
M/V LUTUF was seized about 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district and was subsequently taken towards Somalia’s Nugaal coast. The crew initially took shelter in the vessel’s citadel, but the pirates gained access and moved them to the bridge. No injuries have been reported.
The LUTUF crew comprises six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards. The vessel was carrying Turkish weapons, communications and satellite equipment bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government was in touch with authorities regarding the two incidents.
“Two foreign-flagged vessels were involved. One had 16 Indian nationals on board, while the other had six,” Jaiswal said. “We are in touch with authorities; all of them are reportedly safe.”
The hijackings come amid wider security concerns for Indian seafarers in the region, including around the Strait of Hormuz.
India is among the largest contributors of sailors to global merchant shipping, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the shipping ministry.