Minister seeks details on reports of hijacking of tanker with Pakistani crew near Somali coast

ISLAMABAD: Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry sought on Friday a detailed report on the purported hijacking of an oil tanker by pirates near Somalia, with Pakistanis said to be among the hostages.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs referred to the reported incident, mentioning that the crew of the hijacked vessels was said to comprise 11 Pakistanis.

It added that the ministry was monitoring the situation and was in contact with relevant departments, including the Foreign Office. The statement said efforts were also being made to contact the Somali authorities regarding the matter.

According to media reports, an oil tanker named “Owner 25” was hijacked by pirates near Somalia’s coast on April 21, and 11 Pakistani crew, as well as the Indonesian captain of the vessel, were taken hostage.

The reported incident is said to have taken place in the Gulf of Aden, while the name and nationality of the tanker’s operator have not been reported.

In 2024, Somali pirates had hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel, with 19 Pakistani crew members on board. India’s navy had freed the vessel off the Somali coast, some 850 nautical miles west of the Indian city of Kochi.

The incident had come just 36 hours after India said its forces had freed 17 crew members of the Iranian-flagged Iman fishing vessel, also taken by Somali pirates.

In another similar incident, commandos from the Seych­elles on January 29, 2024 had freed the Sri Lankan fishing vessel Lorenzo Putha-4 and safely rescued its six-man crew. That boat had been hijacked three days earlier by Somali gunmen about 840 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.