Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that the Pakistani crew of a vessel attacked by Israel at Ras Isa port and was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats and held hostage aboard the ship, “have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters”.
Naqvi posted on X that the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker with 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis was attacked on September 17 while it was docked at the Ras Issa port, which was under the control of Houthi rebels.
Naqvi statement followed an earlier statement by the Pakistani Foreign Office (FO) that Pakistanis aboard the LPG tanker were safe and sound and making their way out of Yemeni waters.
According to Naqvi, apart from 24 Pakistanis, the LPG tanker’s crew included two Sri Lankans and a Nepali. He said the vessel’s captain was also a Pakistani.
Naqvi added that the LPG tank had exploded following the attack, but 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 said, adding that the tanker and its crew “have now been released by the Houthis and are out of Yemeni waters”.
Naqvi mentioned that officers from Ministry of Interior, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman, colleagues in Saudi Arabia, and officials of Pakistani security agencies worked day and night under extraordinary conditions to secure the safe release of the LPG tanker’s Pakistani crew.