Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that an LPG tanker with 27 crew members — including 24 Pakistanis — has been released by Yemen’s Houthis and is now safely out of Yemeni waters.
In a post on X, Naqvi wrote: “Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters.”
The tanker, carrying 24 Pakistanis led by Captain Mukhtar Akbar, along with two Sri Lankans and one Nepali, was attacked by an Israeli drone on 17 September 2025 while docked at Ras al-Esa port, under Houthi control. One gas tank exploded, but the crew managed to contain the fire. Shortly afterward, Houthi boats stopped the vessel and held the crew hostage on board.
Naqvi expressed gratitude to Interior Secretary Khurram Agha, senior officials of the Ministry of Interior, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, Pakistani colleagues in Saudi Arabia, and security agencies for their relentless efforts: “They worked tirelessly, day and night, under extraordinary conditions to ensure the safe release of our citizens when hope was fading.”
Earlier, the Foreign Office said Pakistani embassies had been in contact with Yemeni authorities to safeguard the crew’s well-being. FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan noted that the diplomatic missions also coordinated with the families of the hostages to keep them informed.
He confirmed: “Today, the LPG tanker has departed port and is making its way out of Yemeni waters. The entire crew, including the Pakistani nationals, is safe and sound.”
