Pirate Attack Off Somalia Coast, Tanker Recovered

Five crew members were killed aboard the fuel tanker MT Honour 25 after it was hijacked by Somali pirates. The victims included one Indian sailor, three Pakistani nationals and one Myanmar national. Another Indian sailor and three Pakistanis were injured. The Palau-flagged tanker was hijacked off the Somali coast in April with 17 crew members on board. Puntland security forces later launched an operation and regained control of the vessel. Authorities said several suspected pirates were detained during the operation.

In a separate incident, Puntland security forces also recovered the Togo-flagged fuel tanker MT Eureka. The vessel had been hijacked near Yemen’s Qana port in May while carrying 20,400 barrels of fuel. All 12 crew members, including eight Egyptians and four Indians, were released unharmed. The pirates fled towards the shore as security forces approached, after reportedly damaging the tanker and setting parts of it on fire.