India's Kenya mission: all seafarers are safe

In two separate but close incidents, two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals were hijacked off the coast of Yemen and Somalia. Well, after the statement by Ministry of External Affairs, now India's mission in Kenya has also reiterated that all crew members are safe. But on 20th of August, the Eritrea-flagged oil tanker MT Sibhu-1 was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen, stranding a 20-person crew that includes 16 Indian seafarers. Now, this follows the 17th of August hijacking of the Cameroon-flagged MV Lutuf off Somalia's Puntland coast, where six armed pirates seized control of the vessel and its six Indian crew members. Well, in its response, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson had stated that the MEA was actively tracking the hijacking and had spoken to concerned authorities for diffusing the situation. Both the ships were foreign-flagged. Indian seafarers, 22 in total, were on board. All 22 Indians are safe and alive. We continue to speak with authorities for the safety of our nationals. Well, adding to the MEA's response, even India's embassy in Kenya confirmed that no casualties had been reported in the hijacking. Now, the mission has reaffirmed that it is engaging with authorities in Somalia for the safe return of the 22 Indian seafarers. The twin hijackings come amid renewed security concerns for commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and wider Indian Ocean. Vessels in the region have faced both piracy threats and attacks linked to the conflict in Yemen. Now, the Forward Seamen's Union of India recently voiced alarm over mounting regional tensions and Indian casualties. As one of the world's largest suppliers of merchant seafarers, India faces high exposure to growing maritime conflict, especially in West Asia. The 2026 PIMCO-ICS seafarer workforce report ranks India second globally behind the Philippines, providing 311,936 seafarers to the global fleet.