Two commercial vessels carrying 22 Indian crew members have been hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia this week, with the sailors reported safe so far, according to a senior shipping ministry official. The Eritrea-flagged MT Sibu 1, carrying 16 Indians among 20 crew members, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on August 20, around 30 nautical miles off Yemen, while the Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, with six Indians among its 10-member crew, was hijacked off Somalia’s Puntland coast on August 17.The MT Sibu 1 was taken over by six armed pirates after an unauthorised vessel approached the tanker, while eight armed pirates operating from two skiffs boarded the M/V LUTUF off Puntland. Both vessels remain under pirate control, while no injuries have been reported among the crew.
Tanker with 16 Indians hijacked off Yemen
The Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker MT Sibu 1 was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on August 20, about 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast. It was carrying 20 crew members, including 16 Indians, one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi national, while the nationality of another crew member is yet to be confirmed.Maritime tracking information indicates that 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.
M/V LUTUF seized off Somalia
The Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF was hijacked on August 17, around 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Somalia’s Puntland region. The vessel had 10 crew members, including six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards.Eight armed pirates, reportedly carrying AK-47-type weapons and travelling in two skiffs, boarded the vessel. The crew initially took shelter in the citadel, but the pirates gained access and moved them to the bridge before taking control of the ship.“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.The hijackers, suspected of involvement in a previous hijacking, subsequently steered the vessel towards Somalia’s Nugaal coast. The ship was carrying Turkish weapons, communications and satellite equipment bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
Indian seafarers face heightened regional risks
The twin hijackings come amid renewed security concerns for commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and wider Indian Ocean. Vessels in the region have faced both piracy threats and attacks linked to the conflict in Yemen.
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The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) separately raised concerns over the “dangers faced by Indian seafarers amid the Iran war” and shared footage it claimed showed a vessel carrying 22 crew members, including 21 Indians, being hijacked in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22. It was unclear whether the footage related to a separate incident or the latest hijackings.India is 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 scale of the country’s exposure to maritime security threats worldwide.
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