Pakistan LPG tanker attacked by Israeli drone off Yemen coast; all crew safe: Mohsin Naqvi

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced that a Pakistani-manned LPG tanker and its 27-member crew remained safe after Israeli attack off Yemen’s coast.

Taking to his X handle, the interior minister revealed the vessel — carrying 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis, two Sri Lankans, and one Nepali — was attacked by an Israeli drone while docked at Ras al-Esa port, an area under Houthi control, on 17 September 2025. One of the ship’s LPG tanks exploded during the strike, but the crew managed to extinguish the fire.

Following the attack, Houthi boats intercepted the vessel and held the crew hostage aboard the ship for several days.

“I am profoundly grateful to Secretary Interior Khurram Agha and other MOI officers, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, our 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,” Naqvi wrote in his post on X.

The interior minister confirmed that “Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.”

The Pakistani government had been in close contact with regional partners, including Saudi Arabia and Oman, to ensure the safe recovery of its nationals.

The incident highlights the growing risks to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.