Somali Pirates Kill Five Crew Members on Hijacked Tanker, Officials Say
Pirates have killed five crew members on board a Palau-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Somalia before security forces rescued the ship, according to Somali authorities.
The deaths on the tanker, the MT Honour 25, were announced on Tuesday. They appear to be the first deaths at the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade and come amid a resurgence of Somali piracy that experts have attributed in part to the effects of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.
Resurgence of Piracy
The MT Honour 25, which authorities said was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, was seized by pirates off Somalia on April 21. The Information Ministry of Puntland, a semiautonomous region of Somalia, said in a statement that a rescue mission had freed the ship and captured 16 suspected pirates.
Casualties and Injuries
Before the operation began, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew, among whom were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar, and one from India. Four other crew members, three Pakistanis and one Indian, were injured in the incident, according to authorities.
In a post on X, India’s embassy in Kenya said it was “deeply saddened” by the killing of the Indian crew member. All other Indian seafarers on board are reportedly safe, including those on MT Sibu 1 and MT Eureka, which have also been recently rescued.
Puntland Maritime Police Force Intervention
In a post on social media, the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) said the vessel was “safe” and under the government’s control. It said efforts were continuing to find others involved in the hijacking. The rescue follows another operation last week in which the maritime police freed the Sibu 1, a tanker sanctioned by the US that Somali pirates had hijacked in August.
Ongoing Efforts
At least 15 attacks have been reported off Somalia since April, according to officials. Mohamed Mubarak, head of Puntland’s security coordination office, said in a post on X that pirates were not holding any ships in waters off Puntland’s coast, adding that one vessel was still being held in the waters of neighbouring Galmudug state.
The MT Asana, hijacked in July, remains near the coast off the town of Ceel Huur, he said.
Original Article: Somali pirates killed five crew members on hijacked tanker, officials say — Aljazeera