Three Pakistani sailors were among five crew members killed after Somali pirates took control of the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25, shortly before Puntland security forces carried out an operation to recover the vessel.
The Palau-flagged tanker was hijacked on April 21, around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Puntland, Somalia. It had 17 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistani nationals. Puntland authorities later announced that the tanker had been recovered and that pirates had been captured.
According to Puntland authorities, five crew members were killed before the rescue operation began. The victims included three Pakistanis, one Indian national and one Myanmar national. Four other crew members, including three Pakistanis and one Indian, were reportedly injured.
The Pakistani victims included second officer Syed Kashif Umar, who was from Karachi, along with third engineer Mahmood Ansari and crew member Rafi Ullah, according to reports citing the Ansar Burney Trust. Umar had previously appeared in a video appealing for urgent help and had described shortages of food and other essential supplies aboard the vessel.
The incident has caused deep concern among the families of the Pakistani sailors, who had repeatedly called for government intervention during the crew’s months-long captivity. Earlier, Pakistan had also sought international assistance to help secure the release and safe return of its nationals.
The recovery of MT Honour 25 comes amid renewed concerns over piracy off Somalia’s coast. The latest incident has brought fresh attention to maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, where Somali piracy had previously caused major disruption to international shipping.
