Indian naval forces have rescued 22 Indian seafarers after two foreign-flagged ships were hijacked in separate incidents near Somalia and Yemen, officials said Friday. Photo Sputnik India
New Delhi (AX) — The sailors were aboard the Cameroon-flagged MV Lutuf and the Eritrean-flagged MT Sibu, which were seized on Aug. 17 and Aug. 20, respectively, according to the High Commission of India in Nairobi.
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“We have taken up the matter of Indian seafarers onboard vessels MT Sibu and MV Lutuf with the concerned authorities in Somalia,” the High Commission said in an update Friday.
The mission said six Indian nationals were aboard the MV Lutuf and 16 were on the MT Sibu, adding that all were believed to be safe.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi remained in contact with the relevant authorities while working to protect the sailors.
“So far, we have learnt that all 22 of our citizens on board are safe. We are in touch with the relevant authorities on this matter so that we can ensure the safety and well-being of our people,” he said.
The vessels were reportedly taken in separate attacks by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia’s Puntland State coast.
The MT Sibu, an oil products tanker with 20 crew members from countries including Syria, Sudan and Iraq, was reportedly hijacked Thursday approximately 30 nautical miles off Yemen.
The MV Lutuf had 10 crew members aboard when it was reportedly seized earlier off Puntland State, Somalia.
The incidents come as piracy shows renewed activity in waters around Somalia and Yemen. Recent attacks have reached well beyond Somalia’s coastline, including the hijacking of the Eureka while it was anchored off Yemen and the seizure of the Asana roughly 65 nautical miles, or 120 kilometers, southwest of al-Mukalla.
The International Maritime Bureau documented 38 piracy and armed robbery incidents globally in the first half of 2026, among them five hijackings. Somali pirates were responsible for 94% of crew members taken hostage during that period, the bureau said.
