22 Indians Among Crew As Two Commercial Vessels Hijacked Off Yemen, Somalia

Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, with the Indian crew members aboard both vessels safe, according to the latest information available, a senior shipping ministry official said on Friday.

The hijackings come as piracy activity off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden has increased this year, adding to security pressures on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and wider Indian Ocean region, where vessels are also facing attacks linked to the conflict in Yemen.

The 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, about 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast, the official said. The crew also includes one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi national, while the nationality of another seafarer has yet to be confirmed.

According to PTI, maritime tracking information indicates the tanker was approached by an unauthorised vessel before control of the ship was lost.

The shipping ministry 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 (M.T. Sibhu-1) and have taken control of the vessel." The RPSL agency has been advised to submit an incident report and subsequent periodic updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system, the official said.

A second vessel, the Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, was hijacked on August 17 off Somalia's Puntland coast, according to the official and maritime security reports. The vessel has 10 crew members, including six Indians.

"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.

PTI reported that the vessel was seized about 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland's Eyl district and was subsequently taken towards Somalia's Nugaal coast, citing a Somali official quoted by The Associated Press. The crew includes six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards.

Cargo ship M/V LUTUF was carrying Turkish weapons, communications and satellite equipment and was destined for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu. The eight hijackers, suspected of involvement in a previous hijacking, steered the ship towards the Nugaal coast.

The Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI), in a post on X, raised concerns over the "dangers faced by Indian seafarers amid the Iran war." It released footage of what it claimed to be a hijacking of "a vessel carrying 22 crew members, including 21 Indians, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22." The footage was posted on Friday and it was unclear if the FSUI was referring to a separate hijacking or the latest incidents.

The two hijackings also come as Indian seafarers face heightened security concerns elsewhere in the region, including the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States have disrupted one of the world's most important shipping corridors.

The developments are particularly significant for India, which has become the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers after the Philippines. The 2026 BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report estimates that India supplies 311,936 seafarers, underscoring the country's large exposure to risks affecting merchant crews worldwide.