Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, raising fresh concerns over piracy in the waters around the Horn of Africa.
In the first incident, the Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker M.T. Sibu 1 was reportedly hijacked by six armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen.
The vessel had 20 crew members on board, including 16 Indian nationals. The remaining crew members were from Syria, Sudan and Iraq, while the nationality of one seafarer was yet to be confirmed.
According to a report prepared by the Directorate of Maritime Administration, all 20 crew members were reported safe. However, the latest status of the vessel and its crew was not immediately available.
The Recruitment and Placement Service Licence agency has been asked to provide an incident report and regular updates through the e-Navik marine casualty reporting system. Sumit Kant Singh of SKS Krishiv Marine Services said his company had recruited four of the crew members and shared their details with the maritime authorities.
In a separate incident, pirates seized the Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel M/V LUTUF off Somalia’s Puntland coast on Monday. The vessel was carrying six Indian nationals among its 10-member crew.
According to a Somali official cited by the Associated Press, the ship was seized around 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district before being taken towards the Nugaal coast.
The crew reportedly included one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards, in addition to the six Indians.
The vessel, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was reportedly carrying weapons intended for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu, along with communications and satellite equipment.
The official said eight pirates, believed to be linked to a group previously involved in the hijacking of the M/V Sward in April, took control of the vessel and moved it towards the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district.
The condition of the LUTUF, its crew and its cargo remained unclear. Turkish authorities had not immediately issued a statement on the incident.
The two hijackings have renewed concerns over maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, key shipping routes connecting the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
