A pirate action group killed five crew members aboard the hijacked product tanker Honour 25 before the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) secured the vessel and the surviving crew, according to a statement issued through the broadcaster of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state.
The Honour 25 was hijacked off the Somali coast on 21 April 2026 by six armed gunmen. At the time of the attack, the tanker was carrying 17 crew members and approximately 18,500 barrels of oil.
According to the Puntland Maritime Police Force, the pirates killed three Pakistani nationals, one Myanmar national and one Indian national. A further three Pakistani crew members and one Indian national were injured during the incident.
The vessel has now been secured and placed under the control of Puntland authorities.
“During the operation, PMPF forces apprehended 16 members of the pirate group. Other members of the group fled towards the shore and moved inland,” the police force said, adding that its forces are continuing to pursue those who escaped.
The recovery of Honour 25 forms part of Puntland’s wider operation to dismantle pirate groups operating along its coastline and eliminate their operational positions.
Earlier this week, the Puntland Maritime Police Force also announced the safe recovery of Sibu 1, also known as Seamull, together with its crew and cargo. The tanker had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on 20 August 2026.
Another vessel, the product tanker Eureka, has also been recovered. The ship was hijacked on 2 May 2026 while anchored at Qana Port in Yemen before pirates later grounded and abandoned it.
The number of vessels under pirate control had reached six following the hijacking of Sibu 1, but that total has fallen sharply over the past month as several ships have been recovered or confirmed released.
The mini bulker Lutuf, hijacked on 17 August, was confirmed as released by EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta on 31 August. Sward, which was hijacked on 26 April, was confirmed by the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) as released on 11 September, with its crew reported to be “well”.
With the recovered and released vessels removed from JMIC’s latest update, Asana is now the only vessel remaining under the control of a pirate group in Somalia. The product/chemical tanker was hijacked on 17 July.
Puntland’s Navy announced on 29 September that it was launching new operations to reinforce security along the region’s beaches. The authorities warned pirates that they would face severe punishment while also calling on civilians to cooperate with security forces and avoid any actions that could support pirate groups.
“The Puntland Maritime Police Force remains committed to protecting life at sea, safeguarding maritime commerce, recovering hijacked vessels, combating piracy, and maintaining maritime security throughout Puntland’s territorial waters and coastline,” the force said.
