Three Pakistani sailors rescued from Somalia to return home

The three remaining Pakistani crew members of the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25 are expected to return to Pakistan on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday.

The sailors — Imran Ali, Muhammad Yasin and Syed Husain Yousuf — were rescued after Somali authorities recovered the tanker from pirates. They have since been flown to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Pakistani diplomatic officials are assisting them.

Dar said the three crew members were expected to board the first available Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Karachi on October 7.

He thanked the Somali government and the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta for their cooperation in securing the release of the sailors.

The MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker carrying 19 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis, was hijacked off the Somali coast in April. The vessel remained under pirate control for several months amid uncertainty surrounding ransom negotiations and the ownership of the ship.

The Foreign Office had remained engaged in efforts to secure the crew’s release. The prolonged ordeal also prompted the sailors to issue emotional appeals, saying they were facing shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Somali maritime authorities recovered the tanker on September 29. Several crew members were injured during the operation, while three Pakistani sailors were killed. Their bodies, along with four injured Pakistani crew members, were brought back to Karachi on Sunday.

The deceased were identified as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.

Following the recovery operation, Somali authorities also reported the arrest of 21 suspected pirates. The tanker’s crew included Indonesian, Indian and Sri Lankan nationals in addition to the Pakistani sailors.

The return of the remaining three Pakistanis will mark another step in bringing the crew members affected by the months-long hijacking ordeal back to safety.