India has raised with Somalian authorities the issue of the hijacking of two foreign-flagged commercial vessels with 22 Indian sailors on board. The vessels, carrying 16 Indian seafarers on board MT Sibu and six Indian seafarers on board MV Lutuf, were hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia.
In a social media post, the Indian High Commission in Kenya said all Indian seafarers are reportedly safe. It said India attaches the highest importance to the safety and welfare of its seafaring community. The Mission said it has taken up the matter with the concerned authorities in Somalia.
The Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker MT Sibu 1, carrying 20 crew members, including 16 Indians, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on the 20th of this month, about 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast. The second vessel, the Cameroon-flagged MV Lutuf, was hijacked on 17th August off Somalia’s Puntland coast. The vessel has 10 crew members, including six Indians.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to a query during his bi-weekly media briefing, also addressed growing safety concerns regarding Indian mariners operating in volatile waters, reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to prioritising the welfare of its seafaring community.
