Pirates in Somalia kill five crew members of hijacked tanker — Jerusalem Post

In Somalia, pirates killed five crew members of the hijacked tanker MT Honour 25 before an operation to free it began. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post, citing authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

Operation to free the tanker

Puntland’s Ministry of Information said security forces successfully freed the Palau-flagged vessel and captured 16 pirates. According to the ministry, five crew members were killed before the operation began.

The dead included three Pakistani nationals, one Myanmar national and one Indian national. Another four crew members were injured: three Pakistanis and one Indian.

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Resumption of pirate attacks

There were 17 crew members aboard MT Honour 25. Pirates seized the tanker in April. The deaths aboard the vessel likely marked the first killing of crew members by Somali pirates in more than 10 years.

Experts link the resurgence of piracy off Somalia’s coast, in particular, to the consequences of the war in Iran and rising oil prices, which make tankers more attractive targets. Last week, Puntland’s maritime police also freed the tanker Sibu 1, which pirates had seized in August. The previous wave of piracy in 2008–2014 disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, caused billions of dollars in losses to the global economy and led to the payment of hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom.