Pakistan is seeking official confirmation of reports that a tanker held by Somali pirates has been freed, after a rights group shared audio recording in which people identified as crew members reportedly said that five sailors had been killed and four others injured during an operation, the claims which could not be independently verified.
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The Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 was seized off Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region on April 21 with 17 people on board, including 10 Pakistani nationals.
The families of the sailors have spent more than five months seeking information about their relatives and calling for their release.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said its mission in Djibouti, which is also accredited to Somalia, had received unconfirmed reports about the vessel’s release.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan in his statement to Arab News said, “Our Mission in Djibouti, concurrently accredited to Somalia, has received unconfirmed reports concerning the release of the vessel.
“The Mission is in contact with the relevant authorities to ascertain the facts. Further information will be shared once official confirmation is available,” he added.
The Ansar Burney Trust, a Pakistani rights organisation that has been in contact with people it identifies as members of the tanker’s crew, shared recordings that reportedly described gunfire, deaths and injuries.
According to the trust, a caller identified as the tanker’s Indonesian captain said five crew members had died with the nationality of these individuals are not confirmed.
Another caller, identified by the trust as Pakistani engineer Syed Hussain Yousuf, reportedly said four people had been wounded and appealed for urgent medical assistance.
However, the reported casualty figures and identities of those allegedly killed have not been independently confirmed.
A Somali news outlet separately reported that Puntland maritime police had taken control of the tanker and that the crew was safe. This account conflicts with the claims contained in the recordings.
There has been no official confirmation from Puntland authorities regarding the condition of the crew.
In a recording attributed to Yousuf, the caller reportedly said the vessel’s steering system had been damaged and that another ship was towing it toward Bosaso, a port in Puntland.
The tanker’s exact location, its condition and whether medical assistance had reached the crew could not immediately be verified.
