Two ships hijacked off Yemen and Somalia with 22 Indians aboard

Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals were hijacked in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia this week, officials said, highlighting a renewed piracy threat in waters off the Horn of Africa. The incidents occurred within four days of each other, with the most recent seizure reported on Thursday.

In the first incident, the Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker M.T. Sibu 1 was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. According to officials, six armed pirates boarded the vessel roughly 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. The tanker, which has 20 crew members including 16 Indian nationals, was reportedly redirected toward Somalia. The crew also includes a Syrian, a Sudanese, and an Iraqi national, with the nationality of one seafarer not yet confirmed. Officials reported that all 20 crew members were safe, though the vessel's latest status was being monitored. The tanker is believed to be part of Iran's "shadow fleet" and had previously transported fuel to a Yemeni port controlled by the Houthi militia.

Separately, the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship MV LUTUF was seized off Somalia's Puntland coast on Monday. A Somali official stated the vessel was hijacked about...