Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that 24 Pakistani crew members aboard a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker struck by an Israeli drone earlier this month in Yemen are safe and unharmed. The attack took place on September 17 while the vessel was docked at Ras al-Esa port, an area under Houthi control.
The tanker was carrying 27 crew members in total, including two Sri Lankans and one Nepali, and was reportedly targeted while traveling from Iran to Yemen. Minister Naqvi shared the update on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), noting that Captain Mukhtar Akbar, a Pakistani national, was commanding the vessel. Although the drone strike ignited a fire by causing one LPG tank to explode, the crew managed to contain the blaze before it spread further.
Shortly after the attack, the vessel was intercepted by Houthi boats, and the crew was held hostage aboard the ship. Naqvi praised the coordinated efforts of Pakistan’s diplomatic and security institutions, including Interior Secretary Khurram Agha, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, along with Saudi Arabian authorities, for securing the crew’s release. He described their work as “tireless” and carried out under “extraordinary conditions.”
“Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters,” Naqvi stated in his post.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the tanker has departed the Yemeni port and all Pakistani nationals are safe and unharmed. However, the ministry did not disclose the cause of the fire onboard, nor did it directly confirm the Israeli drone strike, instead referring to the incident as a case of an LPG tanker that “caught fire off the coast of Yemen.”
The ministry stated that upon learning about the incident, Pakistani embassies in the region immediately contacted relevant Yemeni authorities and took steps to ensure the safety of the crew. Efforts were also made to restart the ship’s operations and move it out of harm’s way. Additionally, diplomatic missions remained in contact with the families of the Pakistani crew, keeping them informed of the evolving situation.
International news agencies have reported that the Israeli drone strike triggered the fire and that the crew was briefly evacuated before returning to extinguish the flames. The attack appears to be part of the broader spillover from the ongoing Gaza conflict, as Houthi militias aligned with Iran have regularly targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea in response to Israeli military operations.
The Red Sea, a strategic waterway connecting the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, has become a volatile zone amid the Israel-Hamas war, with maritime attacks growing in frequency and intensity over the past year.
This latest incident has not only underscored the growing risks faced by commercial shipping in conflict zones but also highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic agility and coordination in ensuring the safety of its nationals abroad. The government’s swift engagement with regional stakeholders was key in securing the release and safety of the affected crew.
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