KARACHI(National Times)- Somali maritime police said on Tuesday that they had recovered an oil tanker, the MT Honour 25, which was hijacked by armed pirates off the coast of Puntland, Somalia on April 21.
The Honour 25 — a Palau-flagged oil tanker — had 19 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis.
“The naval and ground units of the Puntland Maritime Police Force conducted a planned operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district,” the maritime police said in a statement.
Dawn has contacted the Foreign Office (FO) for a comment.
Meanwhile, Ayesha Ameen, the wife of a fitter on the ship, told Dawn between sobs that there were reports of casualties among Pakistanis on the ship.
She said that they were not able to confirm the names of the deceased yet, but her husband, Ameen Bin Shams, was reportedly among the injured.
“We don’t know how bad the injuries are,” she said.
“We are trying to establish contact with the ship’s captain on the numbers that we have. But our calls are not being answered.
“As far as we know, the bodies are still on the ship, as are the injured. There is no one to tell us if they will be moved. We are going mad here,” she added.
Initial reports attributed to the crew suggest that there have been five deaths and four people have been injured.
Apart from Pakistanis, the vessel’s crew also included seven Indonesians, an Indian and a Sri Lankan.
After its hijacking in April, months had passed with no progress either in negotiations or the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for the recovery of the hostages.
The hostages were said to be victims of an “ownership crisis”, as it was not clearly established who owned the ship — the man previously thought to be an owner was later revealed to be more likely a middleman who hired them.
Since its hijack, the crew had made several emotional videos and audio appeals, reporting that they had run out of clean water, food and medicine. Meanwhile, their families launched an international appeal, calling on foreign governments, the United Nations (UN) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to take coordinated action to help secure the release of their loved ones.
For its part, the FO maintained that it remained “actively engaged” to secure the release of the sailors.
Last month, in a meeting with the International Maritime Organisation’s head, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar pressed for “urgent and effective institutional intervention” for the return of the Pakistani sailors.
Earlier that month, he had also directed “stakeholders” to intensify diplomatic engagement with national and international partners to facilitate the release.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
