Somalia: Oil Tanker With 17 Crew Hijacked By Pirates

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with 17 crew members sailing near the Somali coast, the BBC has reported, citing multiple security officials.

According to the BBC, the ship, which bore the name Honour 25, was overrun late on Wednesday by six gunmen when it was approximately 30 nautical miles offshore, the officials said.

Until three years ago, piracy had almost disappeared in this stretch of the Indian Ocean, once notorious for hijackings. However, it has since made a comeback, with fishing trawlers and container ships being targeted.

The seizure of a tanker headed for the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is likely to increase anxiety in the city, where petrol prices have already tripled since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

The vessel was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, according to security officials from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, who spoke to the BBC.

The hijacked ship departed from the port of Berbera, in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, on 20 February and had arrived near the coast of the United Arab Emirates shortly after the conflict began, according to the ShipAtlas website.

Shipping data shows it circling near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz before turning around on 2 April and making its way toward Mogadishu.

Under the control of the pirates, the vessel, carrying 17 crew members—10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and one from Myanmar—has anchored close to the Somali shore between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla.

Five more armed men have since boarded the Honour 25, sources said. Officials believe the hijackers set off from a remote area near Bander Beyla. It is unclear how they were able to intercept and take control of the tanker.

Neither the Somali authorities nor the European Naval Force, which oversees anti-piracy operations in Somali waters, has released a statement on the hijacking.