New Delhi. Pirates hijacked two commercial ships in two separate incidents off the coast of Yemen and Somalia. A total of 30 crew members, including 22 Indian citizens, were on board both these ships. There were 16 Indian nationals on board MT Sibu 1 and six on M/V Lutuf. The ship hijacked in Somalia was loaded with Turkish weapons and communications-satellite equipment. While the current situation of M/V Lutuf and its crew is still not completely clear.
On August 20, the Eritrean-flagged oil product tanker MT Sibu 1 was captured by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, about 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, a senior shipping ministry official said. A total of 20 crew members were on board the ship, including 16 Indian nationals. According to the official, the Indian side is continuously monitoring the situation after the incident. According to initial information, the Indian crew members on board the ship are safe.