Pirates hijack 2 ships with 22 Indians off Yemen, Somalia
What's the story
Two commercial vessels with 22 Indian crew members have been hijacked by armed pirates off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia. The Eritrea-flagged MT Sibu 1, with 16 Indians on board, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on August 20. The Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, which had six Indians among its crew of 10, was hijacked off Somalia's Puntland coast on August 17.
Incident overview
No injuries reported among crew members
The MT Sibu 1 was hijacked by six armed pirates after an unauthorized vessel approached it, while the Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF was seized by eight armed pirates operating from two skiffs.
Both vessels are still under pirate control, and no injuries have been reported.
The Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker MT Sibu 1 was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, about 30 nautical miles off Yemen. It had 20 crew, including 16 Indians, one Syrian, one Sudanese, and one Iraqi national.
Vessel information
M/V LUTUF seized off Somalia's Puntland coast
The Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF was hijacked on August 17, around 3 1/2 nautical miles off Marraya in Somalia's Puntland region.
It had a crew of 10, including six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national, and two Serbian security guards.
The ship was carrying Turkish weapons, communications, and satellite equipment bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
Security concerns
Security concerns for commercial shipping in region
The hijackings have raised security concerns for commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and wider Indian Ocean.
"I would like to reiterate, the welfare and safety of our seafaring community is a matter which we take very seriously, and we attach very high priority to this subject. Having said that, whenever there is an issue concerning our seafarer community or our seamen, we take it up with the relevant authorities..." MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.