Islamabad, October 5,2026: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that the three remaining Pakistani crew members of MT Honour 25, an oil tanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia in April, are expected to return to Pakistan on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Dar said Imran Ali, Muhammad Yasin and Syed Husain Yousuf had been “successfully rescued” and flown to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, accompanied by a team from the Pakistan Embassy in Djibouti.
“The three crew members will be received in Addis Ababa and depart for Pakistan on the first available Ethiopian Airlines flight to Karachi,” he said, adding that their arrival was expected on October 7.
Dar expressed gratitude to the government of Somalia and the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta for their assistance and cooperation in securing the crew’s release.
“Pakistan remains firmly committed to strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation to combat maritime piracy and safeguard the security and freedom of international maritime routes,” he said.
The maritime police force of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region had earlier reported the recovery of the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25, which was carrying 19 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis.
The Foreign Office subsequently confirmed that three Pakistani crew members had died and several others were injured during the operation. The deceased were identified as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.
Four injured Pakistanis arrived in Karachi on Sunday along with the remains of those killed.
The tanker’s crew also included seven Indonesians, one Indian and one Sri Lankan.
The hijacking had left the crew stranded for months amid a reported dispute over the ownership of the vessel. Negotiations and efforts to secure their release reportedly made little progress, while a ransom of around $3 million was said to have been demanded.
During their captivity, the crew made several emotional video and audio appeals, saying they had run out of clean water, food and medicines. Their families also launched international appeals to foreign governments, the United Nations and the International Maritime Organisation for coordinated action to secure their release.
The Foreign Office had maintained that it remained actively engaged in efforts to secure the sailors’ release.
Somali maritime police recovered the tanker on September 29 amid reports of casualties among the crew. During the operation, 21 suspected pirates were apprehended, while efforts to locate remaining crew members continued.
The return of the three rescued Pakistanis will mark the latest development in the prolonged ordeal of the MT Honour 25 crew.
