After more than five months in captivity, Pakistan’s last three surviving crew members from the oil tanker MT Honour 25 were heading home on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said, while reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to international efforts against piracy and to the protection of seafarers.
Imran Ali, Husain Yousuf and Muhammad Yasin are the final Pakistani survivors to return from the vessel, which Somali pirates seized off Somalia in April. Five crew members, among them three Pakistanis, died last week when Puntland State forces recaptured the tanker.
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“Pakistan remains firmly committed to working with international partners to combat piracy and ensure the safety and security of seafarers and maritime routes,” Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, said in a statement on X.
Dar said the three sailors were due to travel from Addis Ababa to Karachi later on Wednesday, where they would be reunited with their families. Pakistan’s ambassador in the Ethiopian capital had met the men and arranged the assistance they needed during their stay, he added.
The deputy prime minister said the Foreign Office and the government had “made every effort to secure the safe return of all our crew members,” and expressed gratitude to those who helped with the operation.
“While we welcome the safe return of our people, we remain deeply saddened by the loss of three Pakistani crew members,” Dar said. “May Allah grant them eternal peace and give strength to their families.”
The tanker hijacking came amid renewed warnings over piracy and armed robbery in waters surrounding Somalia, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea—key maritime corridors used by ships moving through the region.
The International Maritime Organization said in July that 24 attempted or confirmed piracy and armed robbery incidents had been reported in the region during the previous three months. At the time, 44 seafarers were being held captive aboard three vessels, including the Honour 25.
“These incidents are a stark reminder that the threat posed by piracy and armed robbery to seafarers has not receded and continues to warrant vigilance and support for coordinated action,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said at the time.
According to Puntland State authorities, the Honour 25 was carrying about 18,500 barrels of oil when pirates seized it.
