Pirates seize two tankers off Yemen, Somalia; 22 Indian nationals among hijacked crew

Two commercial tankers were seized by pirates off Yemen and Somalia in separate incidents this week, hijacking crew from multiple nationalities including Indians.

On Thursday, August 20, one US-sanctioned vessel was seized in the Gulf of Aden after six armed men boarded the ship and forced it to change course towards Somalia, AFP reported quoting maritime security agencies.

The Seamull tanker, also known as Sibu 1, issued a distress call as it was approached 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, according to shipping monitor Vanguard. 

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“The tanker has reportedly been boarded by six armed persons, who are now in control of the vessel and redirecting it towards Somalia,” said the EU’s Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) on Thursday.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) too reported that the Seamull tanker was boarded by six armed people who took control of the vessel and diverted it towards Somalia on Thursday.

16 Indian nationals aboard Sibu 1

Indian news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), quoting a senior shipping ministry official, said on Friday that MT Sibu 1 had 20 crew members — 16 Indians, one Syrian national, one Sudanese national, one Iraqi national and one seafarer whose nationality is yet to be confirmed.

The official said that according to the latest information, the Indian crew members are safe. PTI also described the vessel as an Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker.

The US sanctioned the Seamull tanker in December last year as one of the vessels in Iran’s “shadow fleet” accused of exporting Iranian oil using deceptive shipping practices.

It is one of four operated by a Gulf-based ship owner that transported Iranian petroleum products, including naphtha and gasoil, on multiple occasions and made port calls to Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen.

Cargo ship seized near Somali coast

Piracy was rampant off the coast of Somalia in the 2000s and peaked in 2011 before being curbed by international naval deployments and new security measures for commercial shipping.

But attacks have surged again since April, with five cargo ships currently held hostage — most recently a vessel that was seized near the Somali coast on Monday, August 17.

The Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, Lutuf, was hijacked by eight gunmen, who launched the attack from a ship they seized in April, the MV Sward, Puntland security officials told AFP.

The hostages include six Indians, a Georgian, a Turkish national and two Serbian security guards, Associated Press (AP) reported.

The ship was heading for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania when it was captured. The pirates took the vessel toward the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district, AP reported.

The status of the Lutuf, including its crew and cargo, wasn’t immediately clear.

[With AFP, AP and PTI inputs]