Five Crew Members Killed During Rescue of Hijacked Tanker Off Somalia

Five crew members were killed aboard a Palau-flagged oil tanker before Somali security forces rescued the vessel from suspected pirates, according to authorities in Puntland.

The MT Honour 25 was seized off the coast of Somalia on April 21. The Information Ministry of Puntland said a rescue mission later freed the tanker and captured 16 suspected pirates.

The ministry said the deaths occurred before the rescue operation began. Those killed included three crew members from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India.

Four other crew members were injured, including three from Pakistan and one from India. The identities of the victims and the circumstances surrounding the killings were not provided.

Vessel placed under government control

The Puntland Maritime Police Force said the tanker was safe and under government control after the operation. It added that efforts were continuing to locate other people believed to have been involved in the hijacking.

Authorities said the tanker was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil. The accounts of the killings, injuries, rescue and arrests were issued by Puntland authorities and were not independently verified in the available information.

Renewed piracy concerns

The reported deaths come amid renewed concern over piracy off Somalia. Officials say at least 15 attacks have been reported in the area since April.

The deaths appear to be the first attributed to Somali pirates in more than a decade, according to the report. A previous wave of piracy between 2008 and 2014 disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, caused billions of dollars in losses to the global economy and led to hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.

In a separate operation the previous week, the Puntland Maritime Police Force freed the Sibu 1, a tanker sanctioned by the United States, after Somali pirates had hijacked it in August. Authorities said 28 of the 41 pirates arrested in that operation later escaped while being transferred to jail. Several Puntland security officials accused local police of complicity in the escape.