Indian sailor among five killed as Puntland retakes hijacked tanker

An Indian sailor was among five crew members killed by pirates aboard a hijacked fuel tanker off Somalia, authorities said on Tuesday, as security forces in the country retook control of the vessel. The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) said the dead included three Pakistanis, one Indian and one Myanmar national.

The Palau-flagged MT Honour 25, which had been held by pirates since April, is now under the control of the Puntland government, according to the PMPF. Authorities also said 16 suspected pirates were arrested during the operation, while a separate tanker held by Somali pirates was released the same day.

According to Somalia Today, the PMPF said the five crew members were killed early on Tuesday before its forces launched an operation to secure the vessel. Three Pakistani crew members and one Indian national were also wounded, it said. Puntland, where the operation took place, is a semi-autonomous state of Somalia.

The PMPF blamed the deaths on the Somali pirates holding the vessel off the coast of Puntland, but did not say how or when the crew members were killed. In a social media post, the force said it "carried out a maritime operation off the coast of Dharin-baar, Bandar Beyla District, successfully rescuing the MT Honour 25 oil tanker, which had been hijacked by pirates".

It added that the vessel "is now safe and under Puntland government control", and said 16 suspected pirates had been apprehended, while operations were continuing to locate the remaining members. Citing authorities, The Daily Somali reported that the pirates had initially offered to surrender while concealing the crew's deaths.

According to the European Union's naval force EUNAVFOR, the tanker was hijacked in April while travelling towards Mogadishu and was carrying about 17 crew members, most of them Pakistani nationals, along with a cargo of oil products. BBC Somali said the crew comprised 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one Myanmar national. The Daily Somali said the vessel, carrying 18,500 barrels of fuel bound for Mogadishu, was hijacked on April 21.

In another development, The Daily Somali said Somali pirates on Tuesday released the Togo-flagged tanker MT Eureka after holding it off Puntland's Karkaar region. Nearly 30 armed pirates disembarked and handed over all 12 crew members, eight Egyptians and four Indians, unharmed to the local community, the report said. It added that the pirates damaged the vessel and set parts of it on fire before fleeing.

"Hijacked on May 2 off Yemen's Port of Qana while carrying 20,400 barrels of fuel, the tanker had substantial amounts of its cargo siphoned and sold off at sea during its months in captivity. The crew members are now in the care of local residents in the Hul-Aanood area," the report said. The developments on Tuesday involved the rescue of MT Honour 25 after the deaths of five crew members, including an Indian, and the release of MT Eureka with all 12 crew members safe.

With PTI Inputs

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