A senior regional official has confirmed that five crew members of a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia were killed by pirates before local security forces were able to retake control of the vessel.
Bile Qabowsade, Deputy Information Minister for Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, shared details of the fatal outcome of the hijacking of MT Hoarner 25 with the BBC. According to Qabowsade, the five victims included three Pakistani nationals, one Indian citizen, and one national from Myanmar. Four additional crew members sustained injuries in the incident: three Pakistanis and one Indian.
The hijacking unfolded back in April, when six armed pirates boarded the tanker as it sailed off Somalia’s coast. The vessel was carrying approximately 18,500 barrels of crude oil, which was bound for Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. After retaking the ship, Puntland security forces announced that they had arrested 16 suspected pirates, though a number of attackers managed to flee the scene. Authorities have launched a manhunt for the escapees.
Qabowsade pushed back against recent claims that Puntland security forces had facilitated the escape of some pirates, calling the suggestions unfounded. To date, regional authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances of the five crew members’ deaths, nor have they shared a full account of how pirates were able to seize control of the MT Hoarner 25. Following the hijacking, the vessel remained anchored near the Somali coastline, between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla.
Initial statements from officials in April had put the total number of crew on board at 17, listing the original complement as 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and one Myanmar national. It remains unclear what became of the remaining crew who were not listed among the dead, injured, or original initial count.
This latest hijacking comes amid a resurgence of maritime pirate activity in the waters off Somalia. After a sharp drop in attacks following widespread international naval counter-piracy operations launched after 2011, hijackings, armed robberies at sea, and vessel seizures have climbed steadily in frequency over the past several years. In response to this growing threat, Puntland security forces have ramped up coastal patrols to deter further attacks, though the latest incident underscores the ongoing challenges regional authorities face in securing Somali waterways.
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