- Interior minister confirms all 27 crew members, including 2 Sri Lankans and a Nepali, ‘safe and out of Yemeni waters’ after release by Houthis
- Says tanker attacked by Israeli drone at Ras Issa port on Sept 17; LPG tank caught fire but blaze controlled
- Foreign Office says Pakistan’s embassies in Yemen, Oman, and Saudi Arabia coordinated for release
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that all 27 crew members of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker — including 24 Pakistanis — who came under an Israeli drone attack at a Yemeni port have been “released and are now safe and out of Yemeni waters.”
The confirmation came hours after the Foreign Office (FO) also stated that the Pakistanis aboard the LPG tanker were “safe and sound” and making their way out of Yemeni waters. Naqvi, in a post on X, said the vessel was attacked on September 17 while docked at the Ras Issa port, which is controlled by Houthi rebels.
An LPG tanker with 27 crew members (24 Pakistanis, including Captain Mukhtar Akbar; 2 Sri Lankans; 1 Nepali) was attacked by an Israeli drone while docked at Ras al-Esa port (under Houthi control) on 17 September 2025. One LPG tank exploded and the crew managed to extinguish the…
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) September 27, 2025
Israel has repeatedly targeted Houthi positions during the Gaza conflict, as the Iran-backed rebels launch missiles and drones at Israel and Red Sea shipping routes in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
According to the minister, the LPG tanker’s crew included 24 Pakistanis, two Sri Lankans and a Nepali, with the ship’s captain also being Pakistani. He said an LPG tank had exploded after the strike, sparking a fire that the crew managed to extinguish.
“The vessel was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats and the crew were held hostage aboard the ship,” Naqvi added. “The tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.”
Expressing gratitude for the coordinated effort that led to the safe release, Naqvi said he was “profoundly grateful to Secretary Interior Khurram Agha and other Ministry of Interior officers, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, colleagues in Saudi Arabia, and especially the officials of our security agencies who worked day and night under extraordinary conditions to secure the safe release of our citizens when hope was fading.”
Earlier, the FO said the tanker had caught fire off Yemen’s coast on September 17 and, upon learning of the incident, Pakistan’s embassies had immediately contacted Yemeni authorities to ensure the safety of the crew. It added that diplomatic missions also kept in touch with the families of the crew, providing regular updates.
“Today, the LPG tanker has departed port and is making its way out of Yemeni waters. The entire crew, including Pakistani nationals on board, is safe and sound,” the FO reiterated.
