Two Ships Carrying Indian Crew Hijacked Off Yemen and Somalia
An oil tanker with 16 Indians and a cargo ship with six Indians were seized by pirates in separate incidents in the Gulf of Aden and off Puntland.
New Delhi1 min read
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Pirates seized two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, the Indian Shipping Ministry confirmed on 21 August 2026.
An Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker, MT Sibu 1, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden about 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast on 20 August. It carried 20 crew members, 16 of them Indian. A Cameroon-flagged cargo ship was taken off Somalia's Puntland coast on 17 August. Six of its 10 crew were Indian.
These incidents form part of a recent rise in successful pirate attacks in the region, the most frequent in nearly 15 years according to maritime security analysts. The wider security picture in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has deteriorated amid ongoing conflicts, reducing the effectiveness of previous international patrols.
Indian authorities are coordinating with international partners and the ships' flag states. Families of the crew have been informed. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Shipping Ministry are monitoring the situations.
Somali pirates and groups operating near Yemen have increased activity as attention and resources have shifted to other maritime threats. The hijackings underscore the continued vulnerability of commercial shipping even after years of relative calm.
