Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Saturday that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker with 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis, was attacked by an Israeli drone while it was docked at a port in Yemen.
The statement came hours after the Foreign Office confirmed that the Pakistani crew aboard the tanker was safe and making their way out of Yemeni waters. Naqvi wrote on X that the vessel was attacked on September 17 while docked at the Ras Issa port, which was under the control of Houthi fighters.
“The vessel was stopped by Houthi boats, and the crew was held hostage aboard the ship,” Naqvi said, adding that the tanker and its crew have been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.
Media outlets had reported last week that the vessel, carrying LPG from Iran’s Bandar Abbas port to Yemen, came under “attack” at a Yemeni port.
In a video message, the crew said the ship was hit in a drone strike while it was docked. The tanker, which was meant to be offloaded in Yemen, had remained stranded since the incident.
The ship’s captain requested immediate permission to sail to Djibouti. The crew said they were awaiting assistance from Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Director General of Ports.
They further claimed that Houthi fighters were present on the vessel and were not allowing the Pakistani crew to disembark.
In a statement released today, the Foreign Office said the tanker was carrying a multi-national crew, including 24 Pakistani nationals.
“On receiving the news about the incident, the concerned Pakistani embassies established contacts with the authorities in Yemen to ensure the well-being of the crew. Efforts were made to set the tanker underway again,” it said.
The Foreign Office said diplomatic missions also maintained contact with the family members of the Pakistani crew and kept them updated on the latest situation.
“Today, the LPG tanker has departed from the port and is making its way out of Yemeni waters. The entire crew, including Pakistani nationals, on board is safe and sound,” it added.
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