Pirates Hijack Two Vessels Off Somalia and Yemen

Pirates hijacked two commercial vessels between August 17 and August 20, 2026, in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. The Federal Government of Somalia reports that six ships are currently held by pirates, with more than 100 crew members taken hostage, following a surge of 17 piracy-related incidents in the first five months of the year.

On August 17, eight pirates seized the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship MV Lutuf off the coast of Somalia's Puntland region. Owned by Polar Movement Shipping, the vessel was transporting weapons and satellite equipment for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu. The ship's 10-member crew included six Indians, as well as nationals from Turkey, Georgia, and Serbia. Following the seizure, an unverified airstrike reportedly killed four men and wounded two others after a small boat delivered khat to the vessel.

On August 20, six armed men boarded the Eritrea-flagged oil tanker MT Sibu 1 in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. The vessel's 20-member crew included 16 Indians. The MT Sibu 1 had previously been sanctioned by the United States for allegedly transporting Iranian petroleum products. Both hijacked vessels were diverted toward the Nugaal coast of Somalia.

While a senior official from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India stated that the Indian crew members are safe, other reports indicate the status of the MV Lutuf and its crew remains unclear. Experts attribute the increase in piracy to regional conflicts, maritime security declines, and economic hardships facing Somali fishermen.