LPG tanker with 24 Pakistanis on board attacked by Israeli drone: Mohsin Naqvi

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker with 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis, came under attack by an Israeli drone while docked at Yemen’s Ras Issa port earlier this month.

In a post on X, Naqvi said the strike occurred on September 17 while the vessel was stationed at the Houthi-controlled port. “The vessel was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats and the crew were held hostage aboard the ship,” he wrote, adding that the crew “have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.”

According to the minister, the ship’s captain was a Pakistani national, while the crew also included two Sri Lankans and one Nepali. He noted that an LPG tank exploded in the attack, but the crew managed to put out the fire before being intercepted by Houthi forces.

Also Read: 24 Pakistani crew members await rescue after drone attack on Yemeni port ship

Naqvi expressed appreciation for those who assisted in securing the crew’s release. “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,” he stated.

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

Earlier, the FO confirmed the safety of 24 Pakistani nationals, saying they were making their way out of Yemeni waters. The ministry added that the tanker caught fire off Yemen’s coast on September 17, and Pakistani embassies in the region quickly engaged with local authorities to ensure the well-being of the crew.

“Efforts were made to set the tanker underway again,” the FO said.