Somali Pirates Release Crew of Hijacked MT Honour 25
Pakistani and Indonesian crew members returned home after Somali pirates hijacked the oil tanker MT Honour 25 in April and killed five crew members.
The crew of the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25 have been repatriated following a hijacking by Somali pirates on April 21. The vessel, carrying 17 crew members, was recovered on September 29 when the Puntland Maritime Police Force stormed the ship in northern Somalia. The ordeal resulted in the deaths of five crew members, including three Pakistanis, one Indian, and one Myanmar national.
Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, announced that the final three surviving Pakistani sailors—Hussain Yousuf, Imran Ali, and Muhammad Yaseen—were flown to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for transit to Karachi on October 7. Four other Pakistani survivors and the remains of the three deceased crew members returned to Karachi on Sunday. The Pakistani government credited the Government of Somalia and the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta for their cooperation in the recovery.
Simultaneously, four Indonesian crew members arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Tuesday evening. They were greeted by Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir and other officials. The Indonesian government has committed to providing the survivors with comprehensive medical and psychological treatment to assist their recovery from the five-month captivity.
