22 Indian sailors on two cargo ships hijacked off Yemen, Somalia are safe: Govt

Twenty-two Indian seafarers are currently aboard two ships that were hijacked by armed pirates in the waters near Yemen and Somalia, according to sources familiar with the situation. Both companies operating the vessels are collaborating closely with the government, while the seafarers are confirmed to be safe. The two ships include an Eritrea-flagged oil tanker named Sibu 1, which was seized in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen on Thursday, and a Cameroon-flagged general cargo vessel called Lutuf, hijacked off Somalia's coast on Monday, August 17.

Sibu 1 carries 20 crew members, among whom 16 are Indian seafarers, while Lutuf has ten individuals on board, six of whom are Indians. The vessel was transporting Turkish weapons, communications equipment, and satellite technology. Notably, Sibu 1 was previously sanctioned by the United States in December 2025 under a different name, Seagull, for alleged involvement in Iranian petroleum trade.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, pirates hijacked Sibu 1 on Thursday, taking control of the vessel and directing it towards Somalia. A hijack warning issued by the UKMTO on Thursday also reported that eight armed individuals boarded Lutuf, the other hijacked ship, taking control of it. Both ships are currently not broadcasting their location, suggesting that pirates may have disabled their transponders.

The rise in piracy-related security incidents in the broader West Asia-North Africa region is attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf and the shift of international naval forces' focus to West Asia and the Strait of Hormuz. India, the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, contributes 12.2% of the global maritime workforce, making Indian seafarers particularly vulnerable to maritime security incidents.