Somali pirates are seeking a $3 million ransom for 10 Pakistani sailors held since April, reviving fears over a maritime threat that had sharply declined after international intervention.
Islamabad (AX) — The sailors were taken hostage when the oil tanker MT Honour 25 was hijacked off Somalia, Pakistan’s Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the National Assembly on Wednesday.
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Chaudhry said authorities were confronting a complex situation and cautioned that paying the ransom could carry broader consequences, particularly because government control remains limited in parts of Somalia.
He was responding to a calling-attention notice in the National Assembly.
The Pakistanis are part of the 18-member crew aboard the Palau-flagged tanker, which armed pirates seized off Puntland State.
Seven Indonesian nationals, including the vessel’s captain, are also being held, along with one Indian and one Sri Lankan crew member.
The pirates have reportedly set the ransom at about $3 million. There has been no reported breakthrough in negotiations, and no payment has been made.
Security officials said six armed men captured the vessel roughly 30 nautical miles off the Somali coast.
At the time of the attack, the tanker was carrying an estimated 18,500 barrels of oil, according to Puntland State security officials.
Vessel-tracking data showed that the Honour 25 left North Western State of Somalia’s port of Berbera on Feb. 20 before later sailing near the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The seizure underscores the return of piracy in waters off Somalia, where attacks had plunged after reaching a peak in 2011.
International naval patrols and stronger security measures aboard commercial vessels helped suppress piracy for more than a decade. In recent years, however, attacks on commercial and fishing vessels have begun to rise again.
The renewed activity has intensified concerns over security along one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors, as well as the possible effects of additional hijackings on regional trade and fuel supplies.
