Piracy Incidents Off Yemen , Somalia Raise Alarm Over Indian Crew Safety

Two recent piracy and hijacking incidents off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia have heightened concerns over international maritime security, with 22 Indian sailors among those held by armed groups.

Indian media reported the first incident involved a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship attacked near Puntland, northeastern Somalia, before being taken toward the Nugal coast. 

The vessel, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, carried a crew of 10, including six Indians, alongside Turkish, Georgian, and Serbian nationals. Sources said the ship was transporting weapons bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu when eight pirates seized control.

The second incident occurred in the Gulf of Aden, about 30 nautical miles off Yemen’s coast, where six armed pirates intercepted the Eritrean-flagged oil tanker NT Cebu 1. The tanker’s crew of 20 included 16 Indians, along with sailors from Syria, Sudan, and Iraq.

Maritime authorities confirmed all crew members aboard the tanker remain safe, with monitoring agencies instructed to provide regular updates on the status of both vessels and the detained sailors.

The twin hijackings underscore renewed risks in the region’s waters, long plagued by piracy, and have sparked calls for stronger international measures to safeguard shipping lanes critical to global trade.