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Somali forces rescue oil tanker, five crew killed by pirates during operation
Somali forces rescued the MT Honour 25 oil tanker on September 29 after more than five months held by pirates, but pirates killed five crew members—three Pakistanis, one Indian, and one Myanmar national—during the operation. Sixteen suspected pirates were apprehended, and four crew members were injured. The deaths mark the first pirate-related maritime fatalities in over a decade.
Quick Facts
- MT Honour 25 oil tanker hijacked by armed pirates
- Puntland Maritime Police conducted planned rescue operation
- Pirates killed five crew members before fleeing
- Pirates damaged vessel's steering system
- Vessel recovered and placed under Puntland government control



Somali security forces recovered the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker hijacked by pirates on April 21, after more than five months in captivity. The Puntland Maritime Police Force conducted a planned operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district on September 29, during which five crew members were killed by pirates and four others were injured.
According to Puntland Deputy Information Minister Bile Qabowsade and confirmed by multiple sources, the dead included three Pakistani nationals, one Indian, and one national of Myanmar. The injured comprised three Pakistanis and one Indian. Pakistani survivors Hussain Yousuf and Imran Ali, who contacted the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust, reported that when pirates came under pressure from advancing security forces and began retreating, they opened indiscriminate fire on crew members before fleeing the vessel. The pirates also damaged the ship's steering system, rendering it inoperable; the vessel was subsequently towed to shore by a Somali naval vessel.
The tanker carried 18,500 barrels of oil and had 17–19 crew members on board at the time of hijacking, including 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and one Myanmar national. During captivity, pirates initially demanded $3 million in ransom, later reducing the figure to $1.9 million and then $1 million. Months passed with minimal progress in negotiations, and crew members released emotional appeals reporting shortages of clean water, food, and medicine. Pakistani families launched international appeals to foreign governments, the United Nations, and the International Maritime Organisation for intervention.
Puntland Maritime Police apprehended 16 suspected pirates during the operation (initially reported as 21), though some suspected pirates remained at large. The deaths represent the first pirate-related fatalities on a commercial vessel in more than a decade and occur amid a documented resurgence of piracy off Somalia's coast. The operation follows another Puntland rescue of the Sibu 1 tanker weeks earlier, though 28 of 41 pirates arrested in that operation later escaped during jail transfer.
Pakistani authorities confirmed involvement of the Ministry of Human Rights and the Foreign Office. The Ansar Burney Trust, a human rights organisation that facilitated previous pirate negotiations, stated the International Maritime Organisation had contacted it to coordinate return of injured crew and bodies to their home countries. Regional experts have attributed the resurgence of Somali piracy in part to broader geopolitical instability in the region.
Why This Matters
Five commercial vessel crew members were killed during a maritime rescue operation, marking the first pirate-related fatalities on a commercial vessel in over a decade and indicating a documented resurgence of piracy off Somalia's coast. The incident affects international shipping routes, crew safety protocols, and regional maritime security operations; ransom negotiations, rescue coordination (involving Pakistan's government, the IMO, and humanitarian organisations), and ongoing apprehension of suspected pirates shape operational responses and geopolitical intervention patterns in the Horn of Africa.
Timeline & Sources
Apr 21, 2026
WireMT Honour 25 hijacked by armed pirates off coast of Somalia
Sep 29, 2026
WirePuntland Maritime Police Force conducts rescue operation in Dharin-Bar area
Sep 29, 2026
WirePirates kill five crew members; 16 suspected pirates apprehended; vessel recovered
Sources
- Somali pirates killed oil tanker crew before rescue, official tells BBCBBCMediaSep 30, 2026
- Somali forces recover oil tanker carrying Pakistani crewmen over 5 months after hijacking by piratesDawnMediaSep 29, 2026
- Somali pirates kill three Pakistanis during rescue operationThe Express TribuneMediaSep 28, 2026
- Somali pirates killed five crew members on hijacked tanker, officials sayAl JazeeraMediaSep 30, 2026