Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker carrying 27 crew members, including 24 Pakistanis, has been released by the Houthis and is now out of Yemeni waters. In a post on X, the interior minister said: “Alhamdulillah, the tanker and its crew have been released by the Houthis and are now safe outside 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, but the crew managed to extinguish the fire. Afterwards, the vessel was intercepted by Houthi boats and the crew was held hostage aboard the ship,” he added. Mohsin Naqvi expressed his gratitude, stating: “I am profoundly thankful to Secretary Interior Khurram Agha and other MOI officers, Ambassador Naveed Bokhari and his team in Oman. “Our colleagues in Saudi Arabia, and especially our security officials who worked tirelessly under extraordinary conditions to ensure the safe release of our citizens when hope was fading.” Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office said that concerned Pakistani embassies coordinated with Yemeni authorities to ensure the crew’s safety and well-being. 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.
Houthis release 24 Pakistani hostages and LPG tanker: Mohsin Naqvi
