A Sri Lankan national is among 17 crew members held captive after pirates hijacked the oil tanker MV Honour 25 off the coast of Somalia, Ada Derana and the BBC report.
Six gunmen overran the vessel late on Wednesday, April 23, when it was around 30 nautical miles offshore, multiple security officials told the BBC. Five additional armed men have since boarded the tanker, bringing the total number of pirates to 11.
The crew comprises 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one citizen of Myanmar. The vessel is carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, security officials in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said. It is now anchored close to the Somali shore between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla.
The Honour 25 departed the port of Berbera in Somaliland on February 20, sailed near the United Arab Emirates as the US-Iran conflict began, then circled the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz before turning back toward Mogadishu on April 2, according to ShipAtlas tracking data cited by the BBC.
It is the first oil tanker seizure since piracy resurfaced in this stretch of the Indian Ocean, which has also seen US aircraft carriers deploy in connection with the Iran-Hormuz standoff. Hijackings had nearly disappeared after 2011 following international intervention, but fishing trawlers and container ships have been targeted again in recent years. Officials believe the pirates set off from a remote area near Bander Beyla.
Petrol prices in Mogadishu have already tripled since the start of the war between Iran and the US-Israel coalition, and the seizure of a fuel-laden tanker bound for the Somali capital is expected to deepen anxiety. Neither Somali authorities nor the European Naval Force, which oversees anti-piracy operations in Somali waters, has issued a statement.
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the case of the Sri Lankan national among the hostages.
Update — May 4: Officials at the Merchant Shipping Secretariat said on Monday morning that operations have commenced to rescue the Sri Lankan held aboard the Honour 25, NewsFirst reported. It is the first official government confirmation that an active rescue effort is under way, more than a week after the vessel was seized en route to Mogadishu. The 17-member crew comprises one Sri Lankan, 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian and one Myanmar national.
