Pakistani Families Seek Government Help for Crew Held on Hijacked Tanker Off Somalia

Islamabad, Pakistan - Families of Pakistani crew members held on a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia are seeking assistance from their government amid limited contact and reports of worsening conditions on board. The MT Honour 25 was seized on April 21, with 10 Pakistani nationals among its 17 crew members.

The families have received brief calls from the captives, but communication has since decreased.

Ayesha Ameen, wife of crew member Ameen bin Shams, said her husband called on April 23 to report the hijacking. He spoke briefly, expressing love for his family, including his three-year-old daughter Zimal and four-month-old son Rahim, whom he has not met.

Ameen bin Shams, 29, joined the vessel on December 9 as a fitter, after years working at a Karachi shipyard. In a later call, he urged Ayesha Ameen to contact organizations to push for government action. She described the family's distress, noting Ameen's excitement about his job before the incident and his contributions to an upcoming wedding.

Muzammil Ahmed Ansari, son of crew member Mehmood Ahmed Ansari, received a voice note from his father three days after the hijacking. Mehmood Ahmed Ansari, 55, has worked at sea for three decades and joined the ship on January 17 as third engineer. The message described armed pirates on board and called for outreach to authorities.

Muzammil Ahmed Ansari said the family remains in uncertainty, with daily concerns about incoming news.

The vessel is operated by Wharf Chartering, an Indonesia-registered company, and owned by a businessman from Puntland, according to Pakistani officials. The ship is anchored off Eyl in Somalia's Puntland region, within territorial waters. A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft confirmed its location, and EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta deployed at least two warships to the area on April 25, which remain nearby.

Families and the Ansar Burney Trust report low supplies of food, water, and fuel on board, along with some crew members lacking essential medication. A video from April 28 showed crew in a cramped cabin without proper sleeping arrangements.

“We are hijacked, reach out to the company, to people, to the government.”

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated on April 30 that Islamabad is in contact with Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provided assurances of monitoring the situation and engaging with pirates and Puntland authorities.

The Pakistani embassy in Djibouti confirmed the vessel's location and crew status. Andrabi noted that the ship's owner being from Puntland offers potential for direct communication between the owner and pirates. At a news conference on April 30 at the Karachi Press Club, families called for more government engagement.

No ransom demands have been confirmed by officials, though pirates reportedly instructed crew to appeal to their governments.