Pakistani crew members held hostage aboard a hijacked commercial vessel have made a desperate appeal for urgent government intervention after a new video detailing deteriorating conditions in captivity has surfaced online.
The vessel, MT Honour 25, carrying 17 crew members including 10 Pakistani nationals, was hijacked by Somali pirates near the semi-autonomous Puntland region on 21 April.
In the recently emerged footage dated June 16, the ship’s second officer, Syed Kashif Umar, confirmed that the crew has been held for 57 days under severely distressing circumstances. Umar revealed the grim reality on board, stating, “We have entirely run out of adequate food supplies and are being forced to consume contaminated water,” which has caused several crew members to fall seriously ill.
Desperate for immediate rescue, Umar made a direct plea to the state leadership “I explicitly appeal to Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and the Prime Minister to intervene immediately. We urge the government to exert diplomatic pressure on the vessel’s Dubai-based chartering company to engage in direct negotiations with the hijackers”.
The Indonesian captain of the ship also appealed to his respective government, stating that they require immediate external assistance to survive.
According to diplomatic sources, the vessel remains anchored off the Somali coast while backchannel communications continue. The Somali government has reportedly been mediating through the ship’s primary owner, but a deadlock persists as the shipping company has shown reluctance to negotiate. Pirates initially demanded a $10 million ransom, which was later reduced to $4 million, though no breakthrough has been achieved.
The incident highlights a recent resurgence in maritime piracy off the East African coast. While international naval deployments under missions like the European Union’s Operation Atalanta drastically reduced attacks after their 2011 peak, the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) recently monitored a spike in regional hijackings.
Meanwhile, families of the Pakistani hostages continue to voice growing alarm, warning authorities “If the Prime Minister does not take immediate notice of the situation, we will launch a hunger strike along with our children”. They continue to urge officials to accelerate security and diplomatic efforts to ensure their safe return.
