Two commercial vessels carrying 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, officials said Thursday, pointing to a fresh piracy threat in waters around the Horn of Africa.
Tanker hijacked in Gulf of Aden
The Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker M.T. Sibu 1 was seized by six armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, around 30 nautical miles from Yemen’s coast.
The tanker had 20 crew members, including 16 Indians. The remaining crew comprised one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi national, while the nationality of another seafarer was yet to be confirmed.
A report prepared by the Directorate of Maritime Administration said all 20 crew members were safe. However, the latest status of the vessel and those on board was still awaited.
The Recruitment and Placement Service Licence agency has been asked to provide an incident report and regular updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system.
Sumit Kant Singh of SKS Krishiv Marine Services said his company had recruited four crew members and shared their details with the Directorate of Maritime Administration.
Six Indians among crew of Somalia-hijacked vessel
In a separate incident, pirates seized the Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel M/V LUTUF off Somalia’s Puntland coast on Monday.
According to a Somali official cited by the Associated Press, the vessel was carrying 10 crew members, including six Indians. The crew also included one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards.
The vessel was seized around 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district before being taken towards the Nugaal coast, the official said.
The official said eight pirates, believed to belong to a group previously involved in the April hijacking of the M/V Sward, took the ship towards the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district.
The vessel, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was carrying weapons bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu, along with communications and satellite equipment.
The status of the LUTUF, its crew and cargo remained unclear. Turkish authorities had not immediately commented on the incident.