After armed pirates hijacked two commercial ships in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia this week, the Indian High Commission in Nairobi revealed that all the 22 Indian seafarers aboard those vessels were safe.
The Indian authorities said they are in touch with their counterparts in Somalia.
“We have taken up the matter of Indian seafarers onboard vessels MT Sibu (Eritrea flagged) and MV Lutuf (Cameroon flagged) with the concerned authorities in Somalia. It is understood that there are reportedly 16 Indian seafarers onboard MT Sibu and 6 Indian seafarers onboard MV Lutuf. All Indian seafarers are reportedly safe. We attach the highest importance to the safety and welfare of the Indian seafaring community," the High Commission said.
The Eritrea-flagged MT Sibu 1, which had 20 crew members, including 16 Indians, aboard, was hijacked around 30 nautical miles off Yemen in the Gulf of Aden on August 20. Six pirates arrived on two skiffs to take control of the vessel.
"As reported by Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) agency - S K S Krishi Marine Services (Opc) Private Limited, six armed pirates are presently onboard the vessel and have taken control of the vessel," an official was quoted as saying by PTI.
On the other hand, the Cameroon-flagged MV Lutuf, with six Indians among its 10-member crew, was seized off Puntland, Somalia, on August 17. Eight armed pirates with AK-47 type weapons boarded the ship from two skiffs and captured the crew.
"The crew initially mustered in the citadel. However, the pirates gained access and subsequently brought them to the bridge. The vessel is currently under pirate control. No injuries have been reported thus far," the official told the news agency.
Daily Somalia reported that four suspected pirates were killed in a drone strike when they left the captured MV Lutuf to board a small boat to gather supplies onshore. Later, it was revealed that Turkey was behind the drone strike as the Cameroon-flagged ship was allegedly carrying Turkish weapons.
