New Delhi, Aug 22: Twenty-two Indian seafarers are safe after two foreign-flagged commercial vessels were hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Somalia and Yemen this week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 16 Indians were aboard the Eritrea-flagged MT Sibu 1, while six were on the Cameroon-flagged MV Lutuf.
“From what we have gathered so far, these 22 Indian citizens — our seafarers — are safe. We are in touch with the relevant officials regarding this matter to ensure the safety and well-being of our people,” Jaiswal said.
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The Indian Embassy in Kenya said it had taken up the matter with the concerned authorities in Somalia and confirmed the presence of the Indian nationals aboard the two vessels.
The latest incident involved MT Sibu 1, an oil-products tanker that was reportedly hijacked on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden, around 30 nautical miles off Yemen. Six armed men allegedly boarded the vessel, took control of it and diverted it towards Somalia.
The second vessel, MV Lutuf, a general cargo ship, was hijacked on August 17 around four nautical miles off Mareeyo on Somalia’s Puntland coast. Eight armed men reportedly boarded the vessel and took control of it. The 10-member crew included six Indians, along with Turkish, Georgian and Serbian nationals.
According to Somali officials, Lutuf was carrying Turkish weapons, communications equipment and satellite equipment bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
The back-to-back incidents have raised fresh concerns over the return of Somali piracy in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden after years of decline following sustained international naval patrols and maritime-security operations.
The International Maritime Bureau reported in July that 38 piracy and armed-robbery incidents were recorded globally during the first half of 2026, the lowest first-half figure since 1992. However, it warned of a “slight resurgence” in Somali piracy, noting that 67 crew members had been taken hostage globally, with Somali pirates accounting for 94 per cent of those hostages.
