Two vessels with 22 Indians on board hijacked off Yemen, Somalia

Pirates seize two vessels with 30 sailors off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia. According to reports, Pirates seized the tanker Sibu 1 in the Gulf of Aden with 20 people on board, including 16 Indian nationals. Another vessel, M/V LUTUF, was seized off the coast of Somalia’s Puntland region. Ten sailors were on board, including six Indians.The Indian crew members aboard both vessels are safe, according to the latest information available, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.

Delhi: MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "Two foreign-flagged ships have been hijacked. We are in touch with the concerned authorities. There are 22 Indian nationals on board, 16 on one ship and six on the other, and all of them are reportedly safe. We are looking into the… pic.twitter.com/EXeFnrjF64

— IANS (@ians_india) August 21, 2026

An Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker, M T Sibu 1, with 20 crew members -- 16 Indians, one Syrian national, one Sudanese national, one Iraqi national and one seafarer whose nationality is yet to be confirmed -- was hijacked by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen on August 20, the official said. "As reported by Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) agency - S K S Krishi Marine Services (Opc) Private Limited, six armed pirates are presently onboard the vessel and have taken control of the vessel," he said. He said the RPSL has been advised to submit the incident report and subsequent periodic updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system for examination and record.
Another Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, LUTUF, with six Indians among its 10 crew members was hijacked by pirates off Somalia's Puntland coast on August 17, the official said. "The vessel is reported to have been boarded by eight pirates, armed with AK-47 type weapons and operating from two skiffs. "The crew initially mustered in the citadel. However, the pirates gained access and subsequently brought them to the bridge. The vessel is currently under pirate control. No injuries have been reported thus far," he said.