Five crew killed on Honour 25 as Puntland forces retake hijacked tanker

Five crew members of the product tanker Honour 25 were killed on 29 September as security forces in Puntland, Somalia, retook the ship from the pirates who had held her since 21 April. They are the first seafarers to die at the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade.

The Puntland Maritime Police Force said the dead were three Pakistani nationals, one Indian and one from Myanmar, and that the pirates killed them before the government operation began. Local accounts differ, describing an exchange of gunfire between the pirates and the Puntland forces, and one says the pirates were preparing to flee and had offered to surrender. Unconfirmed reports name the chief engineer, second officer and third engineer among the dead; an Indian seafarers' union said the Indian victim was the ship's cook.

Four more of the 17 crew were wounded, three Pakistanis and one Indian. The force said 16 pirates were detained and handed to the authorities, while others fled inland and are being pursued. The pirates damaged the tanker, which was being towed. Unconfirmed information put the ransom demand for her at $3m, lowered to $1.9m and then $1m.

At about the same time, the pirates holding the Togo-flagged tanker Eureka drove her ashore and tried to abandon her, and some reports say they attempted to set her on fire. Nearly 30 of them fled after putting the 12 crew ashore and handing them to the local authorities. Egypt said eight Egyptian seafarers from the Eureka would be repatriated. Both tankers were laden with oil products when they were seized, and the pirates were siphoning off and selling fuel, at least from the Eureka.

It was the third operation by Puntland forces in a matter of days. It followed the liberation of the Sibu 1, in which 46 pirates were detained and one killed, and assistance to Turkish forces that freed another vessel earlier in September. One vessel reportedly paid a ransom for its release. All ships held in Puntland are now free, but the Asana, seized 65 nautical miles off Yemen on 15 July, is still held at anchor off neighbouring Galmudug state.

The force said the operations were part of its "continuing efforts to counter the resurgence of piracy and prevent pirate groups from establishing safe havens" along the coast. Local leaders deny that their forces helped some of the pirates escape custody, and Puntland is calling for continued international cooperation to keep the coastline secure.

This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 4 October 2026.