Somali pirates killed five crew members, including three Pakistanis, during a Puntland operation to free the hijacked petroleum tanker MT Honour 25, authorities in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said on Tuesday.
The Palau-flagged tanker was seized by pirates on April 21, around 30 nautical miles off the Puntland coast, while carrying 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistani nationals.
Puntland operation frees tanker
Puntland’s Information Ministry said the rescue operation successfully freed the tanker and resulted in the arrest of 16 pirates.
According to the ministry, the pirates killed five crew members before the operation began. The victims included three Pakistanis, one Indian and one Myanmar national.
Four other crew members were injured, including three Pakistanis and one Indian, the ministry said.
Ansar Burney, director of the Ansar Burney Trust, separately confirmed the deaths and injuries. He said his organisation had repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of the abducted crew and urged authorities to take immediate action.
Burney called for the injured seafarers to be safely returned to Pakistan and for the bodies of those killed to be handed over to their families.
Pakistani seafarer among victims
One of the Pakistani victims was second officer Kashif Umar, a resident of Karachi’s Buffer Zone who had worked in the merchant navy for 25 years.
People gathered at Umar’s home to offer condolences after news of his death emerged.
Pakistan Working to Secure Release of Crew Held by Somali Pirates, Says FO
According to the Ansar Burney Trust, Umar had told relatives during his last conversation that food, drinking water and other essential supplies aboard the tanker were running out.
Puntland authorities said the arrested pirates would be brought before a court. Officials did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Pakistan had sought international intervention
The hijacking had raised concerns in Pakistan over the safety of the 10 Pakistani seafarers aboard the vessel.
Last month, Pakistan sought the intervention of the International Maritime Organization to help secure the release and safe return of the crew members.
The latest rescue follows another Puntland counter-piracy operation a week earlier, when regional maritime police said they had freed the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1 after it was seized by Somali pirates in August.
Somali piracy raises fresh maritime security concerns
The latest incident comes amid a resurgence of piracy off Somalia’s coast, renewing concerns over security in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean.
Somali piracy reached its peak between 2008 and 2014, when attacks disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, imposed billions of dollars in economic costs and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.
Experts have linked the recent increase in piracy to changing regional conditions, including the impact of the Iran war and higher oil prices, which can make petroleum tankers more attractive targets for pirates.
