Six Indians are among the 10 crew members aboard a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship seized by pirates off Somalia’s Puntland State coast earlier this week. (File Photo)
Pirates hijacked the vessel, MV LUTUF, on Monday and moved it toward Somalia’s Nugaal coast, according to a Somali official. The ship was carrying Turkish weapons, communications equipment and satellite gear.
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The crew comprised six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian national and two Serbian security guards.
The vessel was seized about 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland State before being taken toward Nugaal, the official told the Associated Press. Eight pirates allegedly carried out the attack. They are believed to belong to a group linked to the hijacking of another ship in April.
The weapons were reportedly destined for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu. The cargo also included communications and satellite equipment.
Turkish authorities had not immediately responded to the incident. India’s Ministry of External Affairs had also not issued a statement as of Friday morning.
MV LUTUF is owned by Polar Movement Shipping and was last located in East Africa. The vessel measures 76.43 metres in length and 12 metres in width.
16 Indians on vessel hijacked near Yemen
In a separate incident, an Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker carrying 16 Indians was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.
M T Sibu 1, which had 20 crew members in total, was seized by armed pirates on August 20, about 30 nautical miles off Yemen’s coast, the PTI news agency reported, citing officials.
