LPG vessel with 24 Pakistanis on board released by Houthis: Naqvi

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed the release of an LPG tanker seized by the Houthis, saying that all 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis, had safely left Yemeni waters.

In a post on X, the interior minister said: “Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.”

The LPG tanker with 27 crew members — 24 Pakistanis, including Captain Mukhtar Akbar, two Sri Lankans and one 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 fire. The vessel was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats and the crew were held hostage aboard the ship,” he added.

He maintained: “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.”

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office said that concerned Pakistani embassies established contacts with the authorities in Yemen to ensure the well-being of the crew.

In a statement, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that efforts were made to set the tanker underway again.

He added that diplomatic missions also maintained contact with the family members of the Pakistani crew and kept them updated about the latest situation.

“Today, the LPG tanker has departed port and is making way out of the Yemeni waters. The entire crew including Pakistani nationals on board is safe and sound,” he added.