New Delhi, August 21: The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that all 22 Indian sailors aboard two commercial vessels hijacked by pirates near the coasts of Yemen and Somalia are safe. During a press briefing on Friday, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal provided this update.
In response to a question, he stated, “There are two ships; both are flying foreign flags and have Indian sailors on board. In total, there are 22 Indians (16 on one ship and six on the other). According to the information we have received so far, these 22 sailors are safe, and we are in contact with the relevant authorities to ensure their security.”
Reports indicate that armed pirates seized the two ships in separate incidents. On August 20, a tanker named ‘MT Sibu 1’, flying the Eritrean flag, was attacked approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. It reportedly had 16 Indian sailors on board.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, an incident was reported on Thursday, 136 nautical miles (252 km) east of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The ‘Sibu 1’ tanker sent a distress call indicating that an unauthorized vessel was approaching while heading west in the Gulf of Aden.
UKMTO reported that six armed individuals had taken control of the tanker near the Yemeni coast and redirected it towards Somalia.
In another incident, a vessel named ‘M/V Lutuf’, flying the Cameroonian flag, was hijacked on August 17 near the Puntland coast of Somalia. Six Indian crew members are among the ten on board. This vessel was allegedly transporting weapons, communication, and satellite equipment to a Turkish military training center in Mogadishu.
It was reported that eight pirates took the ship towards the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangorayo district; these pirates are believed to be part of the group involved in the April hijacking of the M/V Sword.
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