NEW DELHI: Twenty-two Indian citizens are among the crew members on board two vessels hijacked by gunmen in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia this week, India’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Sixteen Indian sailors were on the tanker Seamull, which sent out a distress signal in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday after armed men boarded the vessel and forced it to alter its course towards Somalia.
“Two foreign-flagged vessels were involved. One had 16 Indian nationals on board, while the other had six,” a ministry spokesperson told reporters. “We are in touch with authorities, all of them are reportedly safe.”
The United States sanctioned the Seamull tanker in December last year, identifying it as part of Iran’s alleged “shadow fleet”, which Washington has accused of using deceptive shipping methods to export Iranian oil.
In a separate incident on Monday, a Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel, Lutuf, carrying six Indian sailors, was hijacked by eight gunmen. The attackers reportedly launched the operation from another ship that they had seized in April.
