Two vessels with 22 Indians aboard hijacked off Yemen and Somalia
Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked by pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, a senior shipping ministry official said on Friday, Aug 21.
According to the latest information, the Indian crew members are safe, the official said.
An Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker, MT Sibu 1, carrying 20 crew members — including 16 Indians, one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi national, with one seafarer's nationality 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 on board the vessel and have taken control of it," the official said, adding that the agency had been advised to submit the incident report and subsequent updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system.
A second vessel, the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship LUTUF, carrying six Indians among its 10 crew members, was hijacked off Somalia's Puntland coast on August 17.
"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," the official said.
