Somali pirates kill five crew aboard hijacked MT Honour 25 tanker

Somali pirates killed five crew members aboard the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25 before Puntland security forces rescued the ship, the semi-autonomous state's authorities said. Among the dead were three crew members from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India. The Palau-flagged tanker had been seized in April with 17 crew members aboard, and the deaths appear to be the first caused by Somali pirates in over a decade.independent.co.uk+1

The killings matter because they mark a deadly turn in a piracy resurgence that had, until now, mainly involved seizures and ransoms rather than deaths. Puntland's information ministry said a rescue mission freed the ship and captured 16 pirates. "Before the operation began, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew," the ministry said in a statement. Four other crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indian — were also injured.nation.com.pk

What Puntland authorities said

Puntland's information ministry announced the rescue and the capture of 16 pirates in a statement issued on Tuesday. The statement confirmed the nationalities of the five killed and the four injured. The Puntland Maritime Police Force said late on Tuesday that its forces continued to pursue individuals involved in the hijacking and were conducting further operations to apprehend those who escaped.

The MT Honour 25 was seized by pirates in April during a resurgence of Somali piracy that experts have attributed, in part, to impacts of the Iran war, including elevated oil prices that make tankers more attractive targets. The tanker was carrying a crew of 17 when it was taken. The deaths aboard the Palau-flagged ship appear to be the first at the hands of Somali pirates in over a decade.

Egypt's foreign ministry said that eight Egyptian crew members who had been on the hijacked tanker were released. The release of the Egyptian crew followed the rescue of the MT Honour 25, which had been held since April. The tanker flies the flag of Palau, a small island nation in the western Pacific.

How the tanker was taken

Puntland's Maritime Police Force also said it had rescued an oil tanker called MT Eureka, which had been hijacked in May off the coast of Shabwa province, after its hijackers fled when police approached the vessel. "As PMPF forces approached the area, the pirates fled towards the shore and moved inland," the force said. "PMPF forces continue to pursue the individuals involved and are conducting further operations to apprehend those who escaped."

The rescue of the MT Honour 25 follows another rescue mission the previous week, when Puntland's maritime police force freed the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, which Somali pirates had hijacked in August. Together, the two rescues bring the total to five out of the six ships held by pirates off the Somali coast as of late August that have now been freed.

Other rescues off Somalia

A previous wave of piracy from 2008 to 2014 disrupted one of the world's busiest shipping routes, cost the global economy billions of dollars and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments. The current surge, which began with the seizure of the MT Honour 25 in April, has seen six ships taken off the Somali coast as of late August, with five now freed.

The families of crew members on an oil tanker seized by pirates in Somalia have protested in Karachi, the port city in southern Pakistan from which many of the sailors hail. Three of the five killed crew members were Pakistani nationals, and three of the four injured were also from Pakistan, according to Puntland's information ministry.

What piracy cost before

Puntland's Maritime Police Force said its pursuit of those who escaped from the MT Eureka was continuing, with further operations under way to apprehend them. The force did not say how many hijackers had fled or where they went. The rescue of the MT Eureka, hijacked in May off Shabwa province, came as the total number of freed ships reached five out of six held as of late August.

Egypt's foreign ministry confirmed the release of eight Egyptian crew members who had been aboard the hijacked tanker, adding a further nationality to those affected by the hijacking. The crew of the MT Honour 25 numbered 17 in total when the ship was seized in April, and included sailors from Pakistan, Myanmar, India and Egypt.

The rescue of the MT Honour 25 and the killing of five crew members mark the deadliest incident in the current Somali piracy resurgence. Puntland authorities said 16 pirates were captured during the operation, and the Maritime Police Force said it was pursuing others who escaped during the rescue of the MT Eureka. Five of the six ships held off the Somali coast as of late August have now been freed.