FO believes seamen held by Somali pirates ‘are safe’
KARACHI: Pakistan is in contact with the Somali government over the hostage crisis involving Pakistani sailors aboard a hijacked oil tanker, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
Armed pirates hijacked the MT Honour 25 off the southeastern coast of Somalia on April 21. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the vessel, which was transporting oil to Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, has 17 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis.
Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Somalia, engaged with the Somali foreign office and learned that the vessel is anchored off the coast of Eyl in Puntland. Mr Andrabi noted a “silver lining” in the crisis as a local Puntland-based businessman owns the ship and is currently anchored where it belongs.
The Somali Foreign Ministry has provided written assurances that it is closely monitoring the situation and engaging with both the pirates and Puntland authorities to ensure the crew’s well-being.
Anguished families demand updates; seek nomination of focal person to liaise with
“Based on this discussion with the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have fair reason to believe that our crew members are safe and secure, and the pirates and the owner of the ship ... are in contact,” Mr Andrabi told reporters.
He added that Pakistan considers Puntland part of the “brotherly nation” of Somalia.
Families seek help
As diplomatic efforts continue, families of the Pakistani crew members publicly appealed for government intervention, saying they have received little information since the vessel was seized.
Holding photographs of the crew members to their chests, families, including small children, held a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday.
The families shared their plight with the media. They requested the government to constitute a committee to handle the entire matter while assigning a focal person to remain in contact with them for the latest updates.
“We are shattered, but we have not lost hope,” said a family member of one of the men.
The names of the Pakistanis taken hostage, as shared by them, were Second Officer Syed Kashif Umer Naqvi, Second Engineer Syed Hussain Yousuf, Mahmood Ahmed Ansari, Fourth Engineer Usman Ghani, AB Aqeel Khan, AB Muhammad Yasin, Oiler Imran Ali, Oiler Rafiullah Khan, Oiler Yasir Khan and Oiler Ameen Bin Shams.
“For the past nine days, we have been living in anguish with no information about our loved ones. Despite repeated attempts to seek updates through official channels, there has been no substantial response,” said Syed Talib Abbas Hyder, the nephew of Syed Hussain Yousuf.
“We are living in the dark. Though we were able to speak for a few seconds over the phone, the signals were very, very weak, and we were unable to hear well,” he added.
“We appeal to the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Pakistan Navy to form a high-level committee to look into this situation. It would be great if a focal person is also assigned to liaise with us about the latest news regarding this matter,” he added.
Syed Hussain Yousuf’s wife Ambreen, Yasir Khan’s wife Mehwish, Ameen Bin Shams’s wife Ayesha Ameen, Syed Kashif Umer Naqvi’s wife Ayesha Kashif and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari’s son Muzzamil Ahmed all said that they have yet to receive any demands from the hijackers.
Earlier, a video surfaced showing crew members in cramped, deteriorating conditions aboard the vessel. The oil tanker Honour 25 was carrying a total of 17 crew members, including an Indonesian captain and 10 or 11 Pakistanis, most of whom hail from Karachi.
Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026
