Two ships hijacked in separate pirate attacks near Yemen and Somalia

Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals
have been seized in two separate pirate attacks near the coasts of
Yemen and Somalia.

According to the Hindustan Times, the “Sibu 1” tanker, sailing
under the Eritrean flag with a crew of 20, was seized by six armed
pirates in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 30 nautical miles off
the coast of Yemen.

It was noted that all 20 crew members are safe. However, further
updates are expected regarding the current status of the vessel and
its crew. Sixteen crew members are Indian nationals, while one is
from Syria, one from Sudan, and one from Iraq. The nationality of
another crew member has yet to be confirmed.

In a separate incident, pirates seized the “Lutuv” cargo vessel,
which was sailing under the Cameroonian flag, off the coast of
Puntland, Somalia. Six of the 10 crew members were Indian
nationals. After being seized approximately 3.5 nautical miles from
the settlement of Marayya, the vessel was reportedly taken toward
the Nugaal coast.

Earlier, there had already been several vessel seizures off the
coast of Somalia. In May 2026, pirates reportedly hijacked an oil
tanker carrying petroleum products off the country’s northeastern
coast. The vessel was sailing from the port of Berbera to Mogadishu
before being seized and redirected toward the Somali coast.

In late April 2026, unidentified attackers targeted a cargo
vessel approximately 11 km off the coast of Somalia and diverted it
into the country’s territorial waters. The cargo ship was
subsequently seized off the Somali coast.

Image: x99 / ZUMAPRESS / Global Look Press