Puntland forces rescue hijacked tanker MT Honour 25 after pirates kill five crew

Fatal raid on the MT Honour 25

Puntland security forces boarded and secured the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25 on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, discovering that pirates had killed five crew members before the operation began. The vessel, which was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, had been held since April 21 after being seized by armed assailants off the Somali coast. Regional authorities confirmed that the deceased included three Pakistani nationals, one citizen of Myanmar, and one Indian national. Four other crew members, comprising three Pakistanis and one Indian, sustained injuries during the captivity and received medical care. Puntland maritime police detained 16 suspected pirates on board the vessel, while at least 11 others managed to flee inland and remain the subject of an active search.

Before the operation began, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew. Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India.

Recovery of the MT Eureka and other vessels

The raid on MT Honour 25 was carried out alongside the recovery of a second hijacked vessel, the MT Eureka. Pirates had seized the MT Eureka in May off the coast of Shabwa province before grounding the vessel and fleeing ashore when security units approached. Puntland maritime police confirmed that all personnel aboard the MT Eureka were safe, and Egypt's foreign ministry confirmed that eight Egyptian crew members had been released. These actions follow the recovery of the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, which regional forces retook after its capture in August. During the Sibu 1 operation, 41 suspects were initially detained, though 28 escaped during a prison transfer amid allegations of local police complicity. In total, regional forces have secured five of the six ships held off Somalia as of late August.

Resurgence in maritime hijackings

The deaths aboard MT Honour 25 represent the first fatalities at the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade. Marine tracking records showed that the vessel had sailed from the port of Berbera on February 22 before its location transmission ceased on April 24, with 17 total crew members aboard. Regional authorities have registered at least 15 piracy attacks off the Somali coastline since April. Data compiled by the Royal United Services Institute indicates that between 2012 and early 2026, pirates seized a total of three commercial ships. That figure rose after late April 2026, with six commercial vessels, including four tankers, captured by pirate groups.

Naval redeployments and security gaps

The Royal United Services Institute attributed the increase in hijackings to naval redeployments and rising commodity values. International warships that previously monitored the Somali basin were shifted toward the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Strait of Hormuz in response to conflict involving Iran and Yemeni Houthi forces. This reduced patrol presence coincided with higher crude oil prices, which increased the potential ransom value of commercial tankers. Monitoring groups also noted that none of the commercial vessels seized off the Somali coast during 2026 carried armed security contractors on board.