Four Indonesian seamen held hostage by Somali pirates for more than five months returned home on Tuesday, after being rescued from a hijacked oil tanker, an AFP reporter witnessed.
The men were among 17 crew members freed a week earlier when maritime police from Puntland State, Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region, stormed the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25. Pirates seized the tanker in April.
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Before the vessel was retaken, the pirates had killed five crew members — three Pakistanis, one Indian and one Myanmar national — according to a statement from Puntland State police.
Families and government officials, including Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir, greeted the four Indonesians at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
During a welcome ceremony, Arrmanatha praised the tanker’s Indonesian skipper, Ashari Samadikun, for helping protect the surviving crew during the rescue operation.
“I would also like to thank the families for their patience… because it is not easy to wait for news, not knowing the fate of their children, their husband on board the ship,” the minister said.
Ashari, speaking through tears, expressed remorse over the deaths of the five crew members.
“I sincerely apologise to the families of my five deceased crew members. I couldn’t keep my promise to bring all my crew members back safely,” he said.
Puntland State police said the Honour 25 was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil.
Sixteen pirates were arrested during the operation, while other suspects “fled towards the shore and moved inland”, police said.
The rescue came amid a renewed surge in Somali piracy. At least 15 attacks have been reported since April, the highest total since 2013.
Puntland State police have faced criticism over their failure to curb a new pirate network that has been particularly active in the region this year.
In the days before the Honour 25 operation, Puntland State forces rescued another oil tanker, the Sibu 1.
However, several pirates detained during that operation escaped while they were being taken to jail.
Puntland State police also recently responded to the hijacking of the MT Eureka. The pirates ran the vessel aground before abandoning it and leaving the crew behind.
Police later said all crew members had been “confirmed safe”, while the pirates escaped ashore.
