Two commercial ships carrying 22 Indian nationals were hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, with authorities confirming that all the Indian crew members are safe.
According to a senior Shipping Ministry official, the Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF was hijacked off Somalia’s Puntland coast on August 17, while the Eritrea-flagged oil-products tanker M.T. Sibu 1 was seized in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen on August 20.
16 Indians Aboard Sibu 1
M.T. Sibu 1 had 20 crew members, including 16 Indians, when armed men took control of the vessel in the Gulf of Aden. The tanker issued a distress call on Thursday after six armed pirates reportedly boarded it. The attackers then forced the vessel to alter its course towards Somalia.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the security of commercial shipping in the waters between Yemen and Somalia.
LUTUF Seized Off Puntland
The second vessel, M/V LUTUF, was carrying 10 crew members, including six Indians, when eight armed pirates reportedly boarded the ship using two skiffs.
The vessel was seized around 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district and was later taken towards the Nugaal coast.
The crew initially gathered inside the ship’s citadel, a designated secure area used during piracy attacks. The pirates eventually gained access and moved the crew to the bridge.
No injuries have been reported among the crew.
The LUTUF’s crew included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards.
Ship Was Carrying Turkish Military Supplies
The Cameroon-flagged vessel was reportedly transporting Turkish weapons, communications equipment and satellite equipment to a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu. The pirates involved in the attack are also suspected of having links to previous hijackings in the region.
India Confirms Sailors Are Safe
Shipping Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that two foreign-flagged vessels had been involved in separate incidents. “One had 16 Indian nationals on board, while the other had six,” he said, adding that authorities were in contact with relevant agencies and that all the Indian crew members were reportedly safe.
The twin incidents come amid broader maritime security concerns in the region, including the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Hormuz, where geopolitical tensions have already disrupted international shipping.
India has one of the world’s largest pools of merchant seafarers, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the Shipping Ministry. The latest hijackings therefore highlight the growing security risks faced by Indian sailors operating on key international trade routes.
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