Indian officials indicated on Friday that all 22 Indian nationals who were on board the two commercial ships that were seized in separate incidents in both Yemen and Somalia are safe, as authorities engaged locals to keep an eye on developments.
The MT Sibu 1, a tanker carrying oil products and being manned by a crew of 20 including 16 Indians was attacked by armed pirates on Aug. 20 in the Gulf of Aden, which is 30 nautical miles away from the Yemeni coast.
In another incident, MV Lutuf, registered in Cameroon, was attacked off the coast of Puntland, Somalia on Aug. 17 and was carrying a crew of 10 including six Indians.
The Indian High Commission in Kenya has raised the issue with the Somali officials and asked for information pertaining to the Indian crew on board both ships. The mission gave the information that Indian crew members were safe and sound.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, stated that the Ministry has been in contact with the concerned authorities and is taking note of every proceeding for the safety of the crew.
