Pirates Hijack Two Vessels Carrying 22 Indian Seafarers Off Yemen and Somalia
An Eritrea-flagged tanker and a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship were seized in separate incidents; Indian authorities report all 22 crew members remain safe.
New Delhi1 min read
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Two commercial vessels carrying a combined 22 Indian nationals were hijacked by pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, a senior Shipping Ministry official confirmed on 21 August 2026.
The Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker MT Sibu 1, with 20 crew including 16 Indians, was boarded by six armed pirates on 20 August in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast. The pirates took control of the vessel and diverted it toward Somalia. The remaining crew include one Syrian, one Sudanese, one Iraqi and one seafarer whose nationality has not yet been confirmed.
Three days earlier, on 17 August, the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship M/V LUTUF was seized off Somalia's Puntland coast near Marraya in the Eyl district. That vessel carried ten crew, six of them Indian. Reports indicated eight pirates armed with AK-47-type weapons operating from two skiffs.
Indian officials stated that according to the latest available information all 22 Indian crew members are safe. The Recruitment and Placement Service Licence agency for the tanker has been directed to file incident reports and periodic updates through the e-Navik marine casualty system.
MT Sibu 1, also referred to in some maritime reports as Seamull, had previously been listed under US sanctions as part of Iran's shadow fleet accused of exporting Iranian oil through deceptive practices. The Forward Seamen's Union of India noted the heightened risks facing Indian seafarers amid regional instability linked to the Iran conflict.
Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast has fluctuated in intensity over the past decade. The current incidents occur against a backdrop of reduced naval patrol density in some areas and the diversion of commercial traffic caused by the wider Middle East conflict.
Indian naval and diplomatic channels are monitoring the situation. No ransom demands or further details on the location of the vessels after diversion had been publicly released by midday on 21 August.
