2 Ships With 22 Indians Hijacked By Armed Pirates Off Yemen, Somalia

Two commercial vessels with 22 Indians on board have been hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, a senior shipping ministry official said on Friday, according to a report by PTI. All Indian crew members aboard both ships are safe, the official added.The first vessel, a Cameroon-flagged M/V LUTUF, which had 10 crew members, including six Indians, was hijacked on August 17 off Somalia's Puntland coast. The second ship, an Eritrea-flagged oil-products tanker M.T. Sibu 1, carrying 20 crew members, including 16 Indians, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden three days later on August 20, off the Yemeni coast, the official said.MT Sibu Seized Off Yemen's CoastThe official said that six armed pirates were aboard M.T.