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Crew Nationality on MT Honour 25
Breakdown of the 17 crew members aboard the hijacked tanker.
Primary Sources
Families of Pakistani sailors plead for rescue after Somali pirate ...
Families of Pakistani sailors held aboard a hijacked oil tanker off Somalia staged protests in Karachi on Wednesday, pleading for urgent action to secure the release of their relatives after more than three weeks in captivity. The Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 was seized by Somali pirates on April 21 near Somalia’s Puntland region while carrying 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis. Relatives say the sailors are surviving on boiled rice and dirty tank water as negotiations continue between the pirates and the vessel’s owner. Ambreen Fatima, whose husband Syed Hussain Yousuf works as the tanker’s second engineer, joined other families and children at Karachi’s Native Jetty Bridge carrying signs demanding government intervention. “My son says his brain isn’t functioning anymore because he is constantly worried about his father,” Fatima said, adding that her daughter had been hospitalized due to stress caused by the ordeal. Fatima said the family last saw Yousuf during a brief video call six days ago, describing him as visibly weak and unwell. The demonstration highlighted growing fears among relatives, who say many children of the hostages are suffering panic attacks and severe anxiety while waiting for news. Somali pirate attacks, once widespread across the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, had declined in recent years but are now resurging amid instability in regional shipping routes. Maritime security concerns have intensified further following disruptions linked to the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad had not been directly contacted by the pirates and that negotiations were being handled by the ship owner in coordination with Somali authorities. He said officials from Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti traveled to Somalia earlier this month and were informed that the crew remained alive and safe. However, Somali authorities reportedly ruled out storming the vessel because it is carrying flammable cargo. Families say communication with the crew has been extremely limited. Mehwish Yasir, whose husband Yasir Khan works aboard the tanker as an oiler, said she had spoken to him only twice since he left Pakistan in January. “Our younger son still thinks his father is coming home soon,” she said. “But we don’t even know if they will return.”
Families demand action for Pakistani crew held by Somali pirates
Published on: 13 May 2026, 6:54 pmAmbreen Fatima protested in Karachi with her children on Wednesday for the release of her husband, one of 10 Pakistani crew aboard an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates 23 days ago, and who is now drinking dirty tank water to survive, she said.The Honour 25, a Palau-flagged product tanker, was seized on April 21 approximately 30 nautical miles off Somalia's Puntland region with 17 crew members aboard, 10 of them Pakistani.Fatima said her daughter had been hospitalised for two days due to the stress and her 16-year-old son, sitting his annual exams, could barely concentrate."He says his brain isn't functioning. He's worried about his dad and that's all that's on his mind," said Fatima. Her husband, Syed Hussain Yousuf, serves as second engineer on the vessel. The last time their captors allowed a video call six days ago, "he did not look well," she said.Under the hot sun, five families of the hostages gathered on the Karachi Port Trust Native Jetty Bridge, an overpass near Karachi's main port, holding signs demanding the government bring their relatives home, while children, some barely able to hold their placards upright, stood beside them. Hijackings of vessels by Somali pirate gangs were once commonplace around the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, a major shipping lane used to transport critical energy and goods to global markets. They eased through much of 2025 but incidents are rising again. The waterway is particularly important given the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war.No clean waterFamilies said their children had suffered panic and anxiety attacks since their fathers went missing. Crew members, when briefly allowed by pirates to call home, reported the ship had run out of clean water, with sailors drinking dirty tank water and surviving on boiled rice once a day.Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the pirates had not contacted Islamabad and had shown no desire to negotiate with the government. "The ship owner is negotiating with the pirates and is in touch with the Somali Government, which is keeping Pakistan informed of updates," he said.A team from Pakistan's embassy in Djibouti visited Somalia from May 7 to May 10 and was told the captives were safe, but that Somali authorities could not storm the vessel as it carried flammable cargo, he said."We are doing our best. We understand that Pakistan's Ministry of Maritime Affairs is coordinating with the families."A...
Pakistani sailors held by Somali pirates face seve...
Pakistani sailors held by Somali pirates have urgently appealed for help as their situation on board a seized oil tanker continues to worsen. The vessel was captured on April 21 near the Somali coast while travelling from Oman to Somalia. There are 17 crew members on the ship, including 10 Pakistanis. The pirates briefly allowed the sailors to contact their families on Saturday. Each crew ...
Families of Pakistani hostages held by Somali pirates for 23 days call ...
Ambreen Fatima protested in Karachi with her children on Wednesday for the release of her husband, one of ten Pakistani crew aboard an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates 23 days ago, and who ...
