A senior official from Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, informed the BBC that five crew members of the MT Hoarner 25 were fatally killed by pirates prior to local security forces regaining control of the vessel. The deceased comprised three Pakistani nationals, one Indian citizen, and one individual from Myanmar. Four additional crew members sustained injuries during the incident, consisting of three Pakistanis and one Indian national.
The oil tanker was commandeered in April by six armed individuals while operating off the Somali coast. The vessel was transporting approximately 18,500 barrels of oil with a destination of Mogadishu, the nation’s capital. At the time of the hijacking, 17 crew members were aboard, representing multiple nationalities including Pakistanis, Indonesians, an Indian, a Sri Lankan, and a Myanmar national.
Following the retaking of the ship, authorities apprehended sixteen suspected pirates, though additional individuals allegedly involved in the hijacking escaped and remained subjects of ongoing pursuit operations. Puntland Deputy Information Minister Bile Qabowsade contested claims that regional forces had facilitated the escape of some perpetrators. The authorities have declined to provide additional specifics regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the five crew members or the methodology employed by the pirates to assume command of the vessel.
The incident occurred with the tanker positioned near the Somali shoreline between the fishing communities of Xaafun and Bander Beyla. The hijacking reflects a broader pattern of resurgent maritime criminal activity along the Somali coast. Piracy incidents in the region had declined substantially following 2011 as a result of coordinated international naval interventions, though instances of attacks and vessel seizures have demonstrated an uptick trajectory in more recent years.
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