Four Pakistani crew members rescued from the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25 are expected to arrive in Karachi on October 3, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
Dar said the four seafarers — Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams and Usman Ghani — had been safely recovered following continued efforts by Pakistan’s Foreign Office and its embassy in Djibouti.
However, three other Pakistani crew members were killed during the hijacking. Their bodies are also being brought back to Pakistan. The deceased were identified as Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.
Three Pakistani crew members — Imran Ali, Yasin Muhammad and Syed Yousuf Hussain — remain on the tanker along with its captain. Dar said Pakistan was working with friendly countries to secure their safe release and arrange their return.
He also expressed condolences to the families of the crew members who lost their lives and said all necessary procedures were being expedited to facilitate the repatriation of the deceased and rescued sailors.
The oil tanker was seized by armed pirates off Somalia’s southeastern coast on April 21 while carrying oil to Somalia’s Puntland region. The vessel had 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis.
Somali maritime authorities recovered the Palau-flagged tanker on September 29 during an operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district. Authorities said 21 suspected pirates were arrested and that efforts were continuing to locate other crew members.
According to the authorities, five crew members were killed before the operation, including three Pakistanis, one Myanmar national and one Indian national.
