Three Pakistani crew of MT Honour 25 to return to Karachi, says Ishaq Dar
Three surviving Pakistani crew members of the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25 are scheduled to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa on Wednesday to return to Karachi, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Monday. The repatriation follows a military operation launched by the maritime police force of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on September 29, which recovered the Palau-flagged vessel and ended months of captivity for the remaining crew.
Five Crew Members Die in MT Honour 25 Rescue
The MT Honour 25 had been seized by Somali pirates on April 21 while sailing from Oman to Somalia, carrying 19 crew members in total, including 10 Pakistani nationals, seven Indonesians, one Indian, and one Sri Lankan. According to statements from the Foreign Office and Puntland authorities, the rescue operation resulted in the deaths of five crew members, including three Pakistanis, while several others sustained injuries.
The Foreign Office subsequently identified the deceased Pakistani sailors as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer, and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari. Sindh Governor Nihal Hashmi, alongside provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, received the returning victims and coffins at Jinnah International Airport.
Meanwhile, the remaining three Pakistani crew members—Imran Ali, Muhammad Yasin, and Syed Husain Yousuf—were successfully rescued and transported to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, accompanied by a diplomatic team from the Pakistan embassy in Djibouti. Foreign Minister Dar stated via the social media platform X that these final three sailors are slated to depart on the first available Ethiopian Airlines flight back to Karachi, expected on October 7. Dar expressed gratitude to the government of Somalia and the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta for their assistance in securing the crew’s release.
Pirates Lower Ransom Demands During Months of Captivity
Details of the months-long ordeal emerged from the survivors following their release.
Initial pirate ransom demands of $3 million were reportedly reduced over time to $1.9 million and then $1 million, though no ransom was paid prior to the armed recovery. Throughout the standoff, the hostages’ families staged peaceful protests and appealed to international bodies, including the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization, as supplies of clean water, food, and medicine dwindled on board.
International Maritime Repercussions
The military recovery of the Honour 25 coincided with operations freeing two other captive vessels, the Seamull (also known as Sibu 1) and the MT Eureka, bringing the total number of liberated seafarers to 44, according to International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez. In a statement reported by shipmanagementinternational.com, Dominguez mourned the deaths of the five seafarers killed during the Puntland operation and reiterated calls for the international community to enhance maritime security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Western Indian Ocean regions.
Domestically, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced financial assistance of Rs12.5 million for each family of the three slain Pakistani sailors, alongside free education and healthcare for their children and a house for each bereaved family. Sindh local government officials confirmed that the provincial government would cover all medical expenses for the surviving injured crew members as they receive treatment at local medical facilities.
Twenty-Two Seafarers Remain Captive Aboard Asana
While the crew members of the Honour 25, Seamull, and Eureka have been recovered, international maritime agencies note that 22 seafarers remain in captivity aboard the vessel Asana, which was seized earlier in the year.