Families of the crew members expressed deep concern for the safety of their loved ones
ISLAMABAD:
The State Department said Thursday it was in contact with the Somali government about the hostage crisis involving Pakistani sailors aboard a hijacked oil tanker, adding it believed the crew members were safe.
During his weekly briefing, spokesman Tahir Andrabi said the oil tanker “Honor 25” was hijacked by pirates near Somalia’s southeastern coast on April 21 while transporting oil to the Puntland region. The ship had 17 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis.
He said Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti had approached the Somali authorities, including its foreign ministry, and was informed that the vessel was anchored off the coast of Eyl in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia.
“We have reasonable grounds to believe that our crew members are safe,” the FO said, adding that the Somali Foreign Ministry had been “very cooperative” and was closely monitoring the situation.
According to the statement, Somali authorities had assured Pakistan that any updates regarding the vessel and crew safety would be shared immediately. “They are doing their best to ensure that the safety and welfare of our detained Pakistanis and all crew members is taken care of,” it said, noting that local authorities and the ship’s owner were in contact with the pirates.
Meanwhile, families of the crew members expressed deep concern for the safety of their loved ones, saying that 10 days have passed since the hijacking of the vessel and no tangible progress has been made for their recovery.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday, the relatives said the lives of the kidnapped crew members remain in grave danger due to reported shortage of food and water on board the vessel.
