Somali pirates kill 5 crew members before tanker rescue, state authorities say

Jerusalem Post/World NewsAmong those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar, and one from India. Four others were injured. Follow us on GoogleFamilies of the Pakistani hostage crew members of the Oil Products Tanker the HONOUR 25 that was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, hold placards during a protest, calling the government to take immediate action for the safe return of their loved ones, in Karachi, Pakistan May 13, 2026.(photo credit: AKHTAR SOOMRO / REUTERS)SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 00:57Somali pirates killed five crew members of the hijacked MT Honour 25 petroleum products tanker before it was rescued by security forces, Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland said on Tuesday.The deaths aboard the Palau-flagged ship appear to be the first at the hands of Somali pirates in over a decade.The ship with 17 crew members was seized by pirates in April during a resurgence of Somali piracy that experts have attributed, in part, to impacts of the Iran war, including elevated oil ​prices that make tankers ⁠more attractive targets.Rescue mission successfully freed ship, Puntland's information ministry saysPuntland's information ministry said in a statement that a rescue mission had successfully freed the ship and captured 16 pirates."Before the operation began, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew. Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India," it said.Puntland Maritime Police Forces patrol the Bosasso coastline in the Red Sea against ISIS in Bari Region, in the Gulf of Aden, Puntland region, Somalia January 30, 2025. (credit: FEISAL OMAR/REUTERS)Four crew members - three Pakistanis and one Indian - were also injured, the statement said.The rescue follows another rescue mission last week, when Puntland's maritime police force freed the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, which Somali pirates had hijacked in August.A previous wave of piracy from 2008 to 2014 disrupted one of the world's busiest shipping routes, cost the global economy billions of dollars, and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.Follow us on Google