Two commercial vessels, carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals, have been hijacked by pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, reported news agency PTI, citing a senior shipping ministry official on Friday.
Officials said that according to the latest information, the Indian crew members are safe.
The first vessel – an Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker, MT Sibu 1, with 20 crew members including 16 Indians, was hijacked by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen on August 20, the official said.
“As reported by Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) agency – S K S Krishi Marine Services (Opc) Private Limited, six armed pirates are presently onboard the vessel and have taken control of the vessel,” he said.
He said the RPSL has been advised to submit the incident report and subsequent periodic updates through the e-Navik online marine casualty reporting system for examination and record.
Another Cameroon-flagged cargo ship with six Indians among its 10 crew members was hijacked by pirates off Somalia’s Puntland coast on August 17, he said. The ship – M/V LUTUF was seized on Monday about 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The ship is said to be carrying Turkish weapons bound for a military training facility in Mogadishu, as well as communications and satellite equipment.
“The vessel is reported to have been boarded by eight pirates, armed with AK-47 type weapons and operating from two skiffs.
“The crew initially mustered in the citadel. However, the pirates gained access and subsequently brought them to the bridge. The vessel is currently under pirate control. No injuries have been reported thus far,” he said.
Earlier today, the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) shared a video of an attack on a ship on April 22, which shows boats belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) surrounding a Panama-flagged container ship and firing a rocket-propelled grenade, forcing terrified seafarers to take cover inside the vessel. The ship had 21 Indian crew members onboard.
While the crew were unharmed following the attack, the incident shows the danger being faced by the sailors. Notably, Indians are one of the largest workforces at sea, accounting for approximately 12.2 per cent of global seafarers.
(With PTI inputs)