Oil Tanker Honour 25 Hijacked Off Somali Coast, 17 Crew Captured

The oil tanker Honour 25, carrying 18,500 barrels of oil and 17 crew members, was hijacked by six gunmen late on Wednesday, approximately 30 nautical miles off the Somali coast. The vessel, bound for the Somali capital, Mogadishu, had departed Berbera on 20 February and arrived near the UAE coast before turning towards Mogadishu on 2 April.

The crew includes ten Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and one from Myanmar. After the initial takeover, five additional armed individuals boarded the tanker, which is now anchored between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla.

This incident reflects a concerning return of piracy to this stretch of the Indian Ocean, a phenomenon that had largely subsided three years prior. The resurgence, which has seen fishing trawlers and container ships targeted, is likely to exacerbate anxieties in Mogadishu, where petrol prices have already seen a threefold increase since the commencement of the US-Israel war with Iran.

Officials believe the hijackers originated from a remote area near Bander Beyla. The Somali authorities and the European Naval Force, responsible for anti-piracy operations in the region, have not yet issued statements regarding the hijacking.