Pakistani crew members held hostage aboard the hijacked vessel have appealed for urgent government intervention after a new video emerged showing their deteriorating conditions in captivity.
The MT Honour 25, carrying 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis, was hijacked by pirates near Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on April 21. Families of the hostages have since voiced growing alarm, saying conditions on board have steadily deteriorated during the crew’s captivity.
In the recently surfaced video, the ship’s second officer, Syed Kashif Umar, said 10 Pakistani crew members had been held by Somali pirates for 57 days and urged the government to secure their immediate release. He said the hostages had little food, some had fallen ill, and the vessel’s owners were unwilling to negotiate with the pirates, calling on authorities to persuade the shipping company to engage in talks.
The Indonesian captain of the vessel also appealed to his government for assistance in securing the crew’s release.
The Foreign Office last week said that the government remains committed to securing the release of Pakistani citizens held by Somali pirates for nearly two months.
Despite attempts to secure their release, none of the crew members has been freed so far. Diplomatic sources said the vessel remains anchored off the Somali coast while negotiations with the pirates continue.
According to the sources, the Somali government is communicating with the pirates through the owner of Honour 25 in an effort to secure the hostages’ release.
The pirates initially demanded a ransom of $10 million but later reduced the amount to $4 million. However, negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough.
Family members of the Pakistani crew have expressed growing concern over the fate of their loved ones and appealed to the government to intensify efforts to bring them home safely.
Piracy was widespread off Somalia’s coast during the 2000s, reaching its peak in 2011 when hundreds of attacks were recorded.
The threat later declined significantly following international naval deployments and the adoption of enhanced security measures by commercial shipping operators.
In recent weeks, however, attacks have risen again, according to a report by the European Union naval mission operating off the East African country’s coast.
Operation Atalanta, the EU’s naval force for Somalia, monitored three attacks in late April, according to its information service, the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO).
Shipping activity in the region has also faced disruption since February 28 due to the US-Israeli war against Iran, although there was no immediate indication that the hijacking of Honour 25 was linked to the conflict.
