Islamabad:
A floating petroleum gas (LPG) tanker that transported 27 crew – among them 24 Pakistanis – was hit by an Israeli drone while being charged in a jemenic port earlier this month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi revealed on Saturday. All Pakistani sailors aboard the ship remained unkind, he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, declared that the ship has already left Ras Al-Esa Port with the entire crew-Inclusive all Pakistani citizens- “Safe and unscathed.” However, it would not say what ignited a fire aboard the LPG tanker.
Red Sea has become a hotspot of geopolitical excitement due to Houthi Militia’s targeting of commercial vessels in return for Israeli’s war in Gaza. The sea is wedge narrowly between Africa and the Middle East and connects the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.
According to a news agency, the drone strike ignited a fire aboard the ship traveling from Iran to Yemen. It also reported by quoting diplomatic sources that the crew was temporarily evacuated before returning to the vessel to extinguish the fire.
The strike is the latest in more than a year’s attack and counts between Houthis and Israel, part of a waste from the war in Gaza.
In a social media post, Interior Minister Naqvi wrote that the ship bearing 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis led by Captain Mukhtar Akbar, two Sri Lankans, and a Nepali, was hit by an Israeli drone on September 17, while being documented in Ras Al-Esa Port, an area under Houthi Control.
“A LPG tank exploded, but the crew managed to contain the fire,” he wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter. Shortly after, Houthi Boat’s tanker caught up and the crew was held hostage aboard the ship.
Naqvi praised the “tireless efforts” of domestic secretary Khurram Agha, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, as well as officials in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s security agencies who worked “day and night under extraordinary conditions” to ensure the release of the crew.
“Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of jemenitic waters,” Naqvi said further in his post.
The Foreign Office spokesman delivered a somewhat vague statement saying that on September 17, a LPG tanker fired out of the coast of Yemen. The ship had a multinational crew, including 24 Pakistani citizens, he added.
“When they received the news of the incident, the Pakistan ambassads in question established contacts with the authorities in Yemen to ensure the well-being of the crew. An effort was made to start the tanker again,” it was added.
The diplomatic missions also maintained contact with family members of the Pakistani crew and kept them updated on the latest situation.
The incident has drawn attention to the growing risks facing commercial shipping in conflict zones and highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic and security coordination to ensure the security of its citizens abroad.
