Islamabad, September 27, 2025: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed the release of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and its 27-member crew — including 24 Pakistanis — that had been held by Yemen’s Houthi group since September 17.
In a post on X, Naqvi said: “Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.”
The vessel, captained by Pakistani national Mukhtar Akbar, carried a crew of 24 Pakistanis, two Sri Lankans, and one Nepali. It was attacked earlier this month by an Israeli drone while docked at the Houthi-controlled Ras al-Esa port. The strike triggered an LPG tank explosion, but the fire was contained by the crew. Shortly after, Houthi boats intercepted the vessel and detained the crew aboard.
Naqvi expressed gratitude to officials involved in securing the 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.”
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) also confirmed the tanker’s departure from Yemeni waters. FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan’s embassies in the region remained in contact with Yemeni authorities to ensure the safety of the crew, while also updating their families regularly.
“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,” Khan said in a statement.
The release comes amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where attacks on commercial shipping have escalated in recent months, raising fears over maritime security and energy supply routes.
